From One Dungeon Crawler to Another
by Special FX
Summary: Tartarus was as mysterious as it was dangerous. One wrong step, and you never know what could happen... Or where you could end up.
1. Chapter 1

Yukari Takeba was worried.

The expedition into the upper floors of Tartarus was nothing new for them. The members of SEES, they could be considered to be veterans of the tower now, having gone through over dozens of the lower floors already.

No, what worried her wasn't Tartarus or the shadows that the tower hosted.

What worried her, what had been eating away at her lately, wasn't anything of the sort. No, what had been worrying her was none other than their leader himself. Minato Arisato had not been himself as of late, ever since Shinjiro-senpai's untimely demise.

If she could describe in one word how he had been acting lately, she would use the word, apathetic. She wasn't sure if the rest of the team had noticed it or not, as Minato Arisato had always been a rather stoic individual. But lately, it almost seemed as if he's reverted back to how he was when they had first met.

That bothered her a great deal, because whether he realized it himself or not, Minato Arisato had changed a lot over the course of these few months. He was no longer as withdrawn as he had once been. He was no longer as… emotionless as he had once seemed to be. Slowly and steadily, throughout these last couple of months, he had started opening up to the people around him.

But as of late, it seemed as if he had all but reverted back to his prior state of self.

"Yukari-san, there is a shadow approaching. Please prepare yourself for battle."

She blinked, as Aigis' mechanical like voice shook her out of her stupor.

A shadow had indeed revealed itself. She began to notch an arrow onto her bow as she got into her usual position in the backline. Minato was at the front of their formation along with Akihiko, while Aigis stood in the middle between the two boys and herself. It was the standard formation that they always formed when they were all grouped together for an expedition, and it was a formation that proved to be an effective one, time and time again.

The shadow itself wasn't a particularly dangerous breed. She took aim with her bow and let the arrow fly. The wooden missile sailed through the air and found its mark, easily tearing through the shadow's mask. The shadow let out a howl in pain before it charged forward in anger.

That turned out to be the wrong move and ended up being the shadow's undoing, as Akihiko made quick work of the masked monster. An iron gauntlet covered fist and a quick Zio spell all but ensured that the shadow met a rather painful demise.

"Tch, another weak one," Akihiko muttered, "I need a real challenge."

Yukari found herself frowning at this.

"But Akihiko-senpai, aren't you still injured?" She asked, "Shouldn't you be taking it easy?"

The grey-haired boy merely waved her off.

"I'm fine. I won't get any stronger unless I fight against more powerful enemies."

She wanted to protest, but eventually decided against it and simply sighed. Akihiko was one of the most stubborn people she knew, and once the boxer had made up his mind on something, nobody was going to change it. Well, unless you happened to be Mitsuru Kirijo anyway.

"Yukari-san is right, Akihiko-san," Aigis intervened, "Because you are still injured, you should not be overexerting yourself."

"Not you too Aigis," Akihiko sighed, "Hey Minato, help me out over he—"

Akihiko never had a chance to finish as the sound of rattling chains soon filled the air. Her eyes widened and she could feel a sharp chill begin to run down her spine. There was only one shadow that gave away it presence in such an ominous way like that…

"Arisato-san!" Fuuka's voice sharply cut in, "You need to get out of there now! I'm detecting an extremely dangerous shadow coming your way!"

All eyes turned towards their leader, who seemed to be firmly rooted in place. It was as if he didn't realize just what exactly was transpiring at the moment. Was he that out of it? Yukari grabbed him by the shoulder and gave it a firm shake.

"Arisato-kun! Snap out of it!"

Dull, inattentive looking eyes stared back into her own Hazel colored orbs, and for a moment, she was afraid that he was going to remain like this. Then, as if he were suddenly startled awake, some clarity began to return into those grey irises that she had grown so used to seeing.

"…Takeba-san?"

"Yes, it's me," She briskly answered, "We need to go. Now!"

He blinked once, as if to regather himself and nodded, before he quickly broke off into a run. Yukari glanced over towards the rest of the team, who all nodded in response as well, before she took off into a run of her own. She could hear the footsteps from the others falling in line with her own as she followed after their leader.

They needed to get out of here before the Reaper found them.

She had the unfortunate experience of being in the expedition party when they had ran into the Reaper once before, and they had barely escaped with their lives that time. She had no wish to go through a second meeting with that… Monstrosity, none whatsoever.

As she continued to run, she could hear the rattling of the chains grow louder and louder with each extra step that she continued to take. That only caused her to pick up her pace. At times like these, she couldn't help but regret not choosing to join the track club over the archery club.

"Shit!" Akihiko swore, "Shadows!"

Much to her dismay, her upperclassman was right. A group of shadows stood in front of their path, blocking the way. All while the Reaper continued to trail behind them, getting closer and closer as each second passed by. If they were to try and clear out the shadows, the Reaper would catch up to them, without a doubt. But it wasn't as if they could just run past the group of shadows either. There was another corridor that they could go down, but seeing as how they had yet to finish exploring the entire floor yet, if that corridor led to a dead end…

She found herself glancing over towards their leader for guidance.

Minato Arisato appeared to have his evoker pointed towards his head. Yukari frowned, but began to reach behind her back for an arrow from her quiver nonetheless. It seemed that they'd have to just clear out the shadows before the Reaper could catch up.

Although that was easier said than done…

As she was about to notch an arrow, the familiar form of Orpheus caught her eye. The harp-wielding Persona soon began to fly down the last remaining corridor, with its master not too far behind. Orpheus let loose a couple of Agi shots all the while, drawing the attention of the shadows that were blocking the way.

Having been provoked from the attack, like the dim-witted creatures they were, the group of shadows soon began to hastily make chase.

"W-wait, Arisato-kun!" She yelled out, "Just what do you think you're doing?!"

"You guys get out first!" He ordered back, "I'll loop around and meet you guys later!"

Yukari blinked.

She blinked, and then she clenched her fists in frustration. There he was again, just like before, putting himself in harm's way, not giving a damn about his own well-being. Not giving a damn about the feelings of the people that care about him.

"Yukari, what are you waiting for?" Akihiko hastily asked, "You heard the leader's orders, we need to go, now!"

"…"

"Yukari-san, we need to follow his orders," Aigis added, as she looked away dejectedly, "…Even if we do not want to."

She grit her teeth and gave one last look towards the corridor that their leader had run through, before breaking off into a run herself towards the staircase. She was tired, so tired of him doing this. And just when he had begun to change, he relapsed again because of that damn Strega…

…

Once they all got out of this in one piece, she was going to have to have a long talk with their leader.

* * *

 **From One Dungeon Crawler to Another**

 **Chapter 1-**

 **Lost**

* * *

Minato blinked.

He blinked and rubbed his eyes. When it became apparent that he wasn't simply seeing things, and that he actually was in a completely new area, he blinked once more. This place was not similar at all to any of the floors of Tartarus that he and SEES had explored thus far.

In fact, he could not recall there being any floor in Tartarus that even remotely resembled this place. Rather than the flat marble like floors of Tartarus, he was standing atop a vast grassy field that had a few trees sprinkled about, here and there. It was a large open area that was encased on all sides by rock and stone. A small little spring stood off at the edge of the field, with water dripping out from a small crack in the wall.

He frowned at that.

Tartarus did not have any grassy fields, much less an actual source of water for a spring. As he began to survey the area around him, his eyes finally settled onto the strangest thing he had seen yet.

A dragon.

An actual living breathing dragon. Not a Persona, but an actual dragon that looked as if it came straight from one of Junpei's video games. It was a massive beast, bright red scales covered every inch of the legendary creature like an impenetrable suit of armor. He watched every breath that the slumbering beast took, as it's chest heaved in and out, in a familiar rhythm.

He let out his own breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding in.

He had a feeling that he wasn't in Tartarus anymore. When he tried to contact Fuuka and received no response; that only made it all the more clear to him. He was without a doubt no longer in Tartarus. In fact, when he checked his phone and found that the device was actually working, but received no signal, he began to wonder if he was still even on Earth anymore.

Electronic devices did not work in the Dark Hour, and he was absolutely certain that that the Dark Hour should still be going on right about now. Tartarus could not be entered without the Dark Hour after all, and he was most definitely inside Tartarus until mere moments ago. And since the Dark Hour was a worldwide phenomenon, that could only mean one thing.

He was no longer on the same planet.

This was new for him. It was a scenario that he was not experienced with. It was a situation that was completely and utterly foreign for him.

And he did not know what to do.

Minato couldn't help but sigh. He reached into his pockets and pulled out his headphones out of habit, before firmly placing them into his ears. At the very least, he could listen to music with the Dark Hour no longer in effect. The familiar tune of Burn My Dread soon occupied his senses.

He tried to recall what had happened. He could remember luring the shadows away from his friends. He remembered running down the corridor until he finally reached a dead end. At that point, he was forced into a fight with the group of shadows. He could recall defeating the shadows and the Reaper arriving soon after.

The Reaper had him cornered.

He could recall a blinding flash of light, and then, nothing.

He frowned, as he tried to figure out just what had exactly occurred at that very moment. When nothing eventually came to mind, he couldn't help but let out a sigh once more. Things always did get complicated when it involved the supernatural, he should have expected things like this by now.

He began to survey the area around him once more. After all, it wasn't as if he could stay here forever, even though there did seem to be a source of fresh water nearby. He had a feeling that he didn't want to be around when the lumbering dragon finally decided to wake up. Of course, it was just his luck that the only exit that he could make out in this entire place, was right next to the giant sleeping dragon.

Hopefully, he'd be able to sneak his way out.

He kept his footsteps as light as possible as he slowly inched his way towards the exit. When he was halfway there, the dragon began to stir and he all but stopped in his tracks. A single large eye slowly began to crack open.

The dragon stared straight at him.

He simply stared back. Perhaps he should've turned off his MP3 player before trying to sneak past it.

After what felt like an eternity, the beast finally broke the deadlock and let out a bloodcurdling roar, as it all but jumped to life. Great red wings spread out from its back as the beast stood up to its full height on all four paws. It was a massive creature, larger than any shadow or Arcana shadow that he had seen yet.

And it looked as if it wanted to eat him.

He wasn't sure if he could summon a Persona here without the Dark Hour, but now was a good a time as any to find out. Gripping the evoker tightly, he quickly brought the pistol up towards the side of his head and pulled the trigger.

The all too familiar sound of shattering glass soon followed, much to his relief.

" _Thou Art I… And I am Thou."_

Orpheus, the master of strings soon emerged in all of its metallic glory.

" _Agi"_

A jet-stream of concentrated fire spewed out from the winged beast's jaws in response. In comparison, the small pitiful ball of flame from the Agi spell was all but evaporated by the dragon's fiery breath. Orpheus stood in front of him and managed to shield off most of the flames, but he could still feel the heat begin to burn off patches of flesh and skin, as he covered his eyes with his forearm.

When the heat finally began to lessen, he opened his eyes. Orpheus' once silver body was now charred black, like burnt coals. A crack began to appear on the now charred metal's surface, followed by another and then another. And then, the manifestation of thought shattered, disappearing away in a shower of dust.

It seemed that lower-tier Personas wouldn't stand much of a chance.

To defeat a beast like this, he would probably need one of his strongest Personas. He brought the evoker up towards the side of his head once more and pulled the trigger. He had the perfect Persona in mind.

What better way to slay a dragon than with the dragon-slayer himself?

Siegfried, the dragon-slaying hero along with his legendary sword Balmung, soon emerged from the confines of the Sea of Souls. Armor made of peerless steel all but draped over his body. A silver colored helmet covered most of his features as a crimson red mantle ran down his back.

The dragon-slayer drew Balmung from its sheath and hefted it over his armored shoulder. Unlike most warriors from his time, Siegfried did not use a shield. This was because Siegfried could not be harmed through conventional means, after having slain the great dragon Fafnir and having been bathed in its blood, the great hero became an invulnerable existence.

Of course, the Persona counterpart of the dragon-slayer possessed no such trait. After all, a Persona was simply that, a manifestation of thought, a mere copy of the original. And while this version of Siegfried did not possess the same form of invincibility, the same unwilling desire to use a shield remained.

And as such, with only Balmung in hand, the great dragon-slayer let out a loud battle cry as he charged forward.

* * *

It was unbecoming for an adventurer of the Loki Familia to be such a bother, to be so… Useless. One would expect much more from a member of one of the strongest Familia's in Orario. It was shameful for her, not only as an adventurer, but as an Elven Mage that was a student of Riveria Ljos Alf, of the royal family herself.

To not even be able to finish a chant while the members of her Familia fought so hard to protect her. It bothered her a great deal. She was a rearguard magician, and as such, it was her job to chant and cast spells in order to support her allies from afar. And yet, she could not even accomplish something as simple as that.

She was afraid. The very moment that danger reared its ugly head, when a monster of the dungeon approached her, that terrible feeling of dread would always overcome her. More often than not, she found herself freezing in place, and even something as simple as a three-layered chant, became next to impossible.

Lefiya Viridis was a failure as an adventurer.

She was a failure as an adventurer, a failure as a member of the Loki Familia, a failure as a representation of her people, and as a student of Riveria Ljos Alf. She was weak, and because she was weak, she was only a burden during battle.

But even then, she would continue to stand beside her comrades.

For Aiz Wallenstein, the Sword Princess of Orario, believed in her. The Loki Familia, her friends and family, they believed in her. Her mentor and future queen, Riveria Ljos Alf believed in her. And so, in spite of the fear, in spite of the dread, she would continue to stand by their side as a proud adventurer of the Loki Familia. She would become stronger, strong enough until the day came when she could stand beside her friend, Aiz Wallenstein, as an equal.

"Lefiya-chan," Tione Hiryute said, with a smile on her face, "This time, we will be relying on you."

Lefiya stilled her shaking hands as she slowly nodded in acknowledgement.

"…Yes."

They would be fighting against the Cadmus, one of the strongest monsters in the dungeon, aside from the floor bosses. The Cadmus was a massive dragon that was without a doubt, the strongest monster on the 51st floor of the dungeon. They needed the Cadmus's spring water for a request, and the only way of obtaining this water was by defeating the great dragon itself.

To say that she was nervous would be an understatement.

"The plan for this battle will go as usual," Tione began, "Aiz, Tiona, and I will draw the Cadmus's attention," The older Amazonian sister paused, "We will buy you time to chant Lefiya-chan, use your strongest spells. Once the Cadmus has been adequately weakened enough from the magic attacks, the rest of us will charge in and finish it off. If anyone has anything against this course of action, speak up now."

When it appeared that nobody was going to say anything, Lefiya glanced towards the other members of their little expedition party. Aiz Wallenstein had a serious look on her face, while the younger sister of the Amazons, Tiona Hiryute flashed her a happy-go-lucky smile.

"Good," Tione curtly nodded, "Everybody get ready, once we enter the Cadmus's lair, there won't be any turning back."

Lefiya couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when she saw the look that the elder Amazonian sister had on her face.

"Tiona-san, you sure seem…" She paused, unsure of what words to use, "Eager about this request."

"Of course!" Tione replied, with fire in her eyes, "The captain entrusted me with this job!"

"O-oh."

She should have expected that as the reason, really. It was quite well-known among the members of the Loki Familia that Tione Hiryute had feelings for their captain, Finn Deimne.

"Yeah yeah sis, we get it," The younger sister brushed off, "By the way, Aiz already went on ahead while you guys were talking."

"What?! Aiz, wait for us!" Tione yelled as she chased after the Sword Princess.

"Ah, let's get going too, Lefiya-chan," Tiona suggested, "Don't want to get left behind after all."

"R-right!" She promptly nodded.

Catching up to Aiz did not take as long as expected, as the Sword Princess had not actually ventured that far away from the group. That shouldn't have come as a surprise, after all Aiz Wallenstein was a veteran adventurer, and she knew better than most to stray too far away from the party in the deeper floors of the dungeon. Not just for her own safety, but for the party's safety as well. As they continued down the corridors of the dungeon's labyrinth floor, Aiz Wallenstein who had been at the forefront of the party abruptly came to a stop.

"Huh, why'd you stop Aiz?" Tione Hiryute asked.

Aiz merely held a hand out and pointed up towards the ceiling. Lefiya looked up and saw a faint trail of smoke leaking out from within the Cadmus's stomping grounds. The surprise on her face was shared among the rest of the members of the party.

"Hey wait," The younger Amazonian said, as she sniffed the air, "Do you guys smell that?"

Lefiya sniffed the air as well and she couldn't help but feel her nose scrunch up in disgust. It smelled of burnt flesh and sulfur. Tione had a similar look of disgust on her face as she.

"Uck, it smells terrible."

If Aiz was disturbed at all by the terrible smell, none of the discomfort showed on her face. Aiz Wallenstein appeared to be as stoic as ever.

"… Someone fought with the Cadmus."

The Sword Princess's voice was as soft as a light spring breeze. It was quite the surprise when she had found out that someone so powerful could have such a soft voice. Were it not for the fact that she had grown used to Aiz's way of speaking, she would have probably dismissed her remark as simple muttering.

"What? That's impossible," Tione Hiryute dismissed, "The amount of teams that could venture this far into the dungeon could be counted in one hand. And we haven't heard about any other Familia's expeditions overlapping with our own."

Lefiya tried to recall if there were any other Familia expeditions going on near the 50th floor. When nothing came to mind, she frowned. That meant that it probably wasn't another adventurer that had fought with the Cadmus.

"Uhm… Perhaps the Cadmus got into a fight with another monster?"

A monster fighting with another monster within the dungeon was not unheard of. It was certainly a possibility, and judging by the look on Tione's face, the elder Amazonian seemed to agree with her theory.

"… Strange."

Before anyone had a chance to ask what Aiz had meant by that, the Sword Princess had already rushed past everyone into the Cadmus's lair.

"Hey wait! Aiz!" Tione called out as she ran after the Sword Princess, "You can't just keep rushing out there on your own like that!"

Lefiya shared a quick glance with the younger Amazon sister before she began to chase after the Sword Princess as well. She could hear the footsteps of Tiona following close behind her as she stepped into the entrance to the Cadmus's lair.

What she saw took her by complete surprise.

What had once appeared to have been a grassy field was now no more than a ruined wasteland. Dirt and uprooted tree trunks, covered over the field as debris, marring over the once lush field of grass. Parts of the stone and rock encasing the area seemed to have been melted off, as a small little fire continued to burn away at any nearby debris.

It soon became very clear to her that she was staring at the remnants of a battlefield.

"The Cadmus…" Tione trailed off, "The Cadmus, it's dead."

Lefiya couldn't help but nod, as she stared at the large remains of the winged beast. Parts of its massive body had been melted away, but what really caught her attention was the short-sword that appeared to have been wedged into its right eye.

There weren't any monsters that used weapons on this floor, which meant that an adventurer had accomplished the deed. But, that only gave way to even more questions…

She was about to ask Tione about the short-sword before a soft voice interrupted her.

"Lefiya-san, this person requires healing," Aiz gently called out.

Aiz Wallenstein was kneeling down on the ground a good distance away from everybody. For a moment, worry seeped into her heart as she thought that someone from their party had gotten injured. But, when she realized that the Hiryute sisters were standing right beside her, her brows furrowed in confusion.

Who was Aiz talking about?

As she began to make her way over towards the Sword Princess, she finally got a good glimpse at the person in question. His clothing was strange, and seemed more fit for a civilian than an adventurer. His hair was a dark shade of blue and was quite unruly.

As she got closer, she could smell the scent of burnt flesh growing stronger with every step she took. Once she got close enough to see the full extent of his injuries, she frowned at the sight. Skin that had been burnt a dull shade of red, labored breathing that most likely indicated broken ribs, and a deathly pale complexion.

Whoever the mysterious adventurer was, he was not long for the world unless he received some form of healing.

And so, Lefiya Viridis began to chant.

" _The song of a now distant forest."_

She closed her eyes and focused.

" _The nostalgic song of life."_

Her magic was her greatest source of pride.

" _Please bring the mercy of healing to those that seek you."_

If she could not support her friends on the battlefield, than at the very least, she could accomplish this.

" _Noah Heal."_

A glyph began to form under her and stray mana soon filled the air. A faint light began to engulf the mysterious adventurer. Skin soon began to reform and bones started to mend. The deathly pale complexion soon began to take on a healthier shade of red.

She let out a sigh of relief, just as the Hiryute sisters began to approach.

"… Hey Tiona, does he look familiar to you?" The older sister asked.

The younger sister placed a single finger on her chin as she appeared to be deep in thought.

"Hmm… Nope, never seen anyone like him."

"What about you Aiz?" Tione questioned, "Recognize him from another Familia?"

Aiz Wallenstein simply shook her head in response.

The elder Hiryute sister rubbed the back of her neck, a puzzled expression on her face.

"To be able to take down the Cadmus, solo as well…" Tione eventually began, "You'd have to be at the very least, a level 5."

Lefiya blinked.

What Tione was implying could have powerful ramifications on the delicate power balance of Orario, if proved correct. Even if one added up all of the level 5s in the city, it would make for an extremely short list. First-class adventurers like Aiz Wallenstein or the Hiryute sisters were scare, even among the most powerful Familia. That only added more fuel to the burning question that was on everyone's mind.

Just _who_ was this mysterious adventurer?

* * *

 **Author's Notes-** Ah hahahahaha... Fuck me, I did it again. My muse got the better of me... I really need to stop starting new stories, ugh...


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2-**

 **Awakening**

* * *

Slowly, his eyes flickered open. The sudden influx of light created a haze of fogginess, as his vision was filled with nothing but white. The white plaster on the walls was strange at first, but as he began to regain more of his senses, realization slowly kicked in.

He was in a room.

It was a room that he was unfamiliar with. Slowly, he began to sit up, the white sheets that had once clung to his body sliding off to reveal a loose fitting shirt. Glancing down, he could see bandages taped over various places on his body. He decided to test his limbs and flexed his right arm before a sudden sting of pain laced through his muscles.

Pain was good; it meant that he was still among the living.

A slight breeze blew in from the open window, and he couldn't help but wish he still had his blazer. He swung his legs towards the side of the bed and forced himself up. He managed a grand distance of two steps before he all but toppled over, falling to the floor in a loud _thud_.

Another sharp wave of pain stabbed through his body.

A soft, frustrated grunt managed to escape from his lips. The feeling of stiffness in his limbs was a familiar one for him; it was a feeling that resulted from a lack of use. It was the same feeling of stiffness that he had felt when he had awoken in that hospital bed, after he had first summoned Orpheus.

Minato rolled his body over until his eyes were facing towards the ceiling once more. He couldn't help but let out a long sigh. After all of that effort, the window still remained open and he found himself even colder than before. As he lay sprawled out on the floor, he wondered if he would even be able to manage the climb back up into the bed.

It seemed that he wouldn't have a chance to find out, as the door soon creaked open.

The woman that walked into the room seemed to possess such elegance and grace that he was immediately reminded of Mitsuru. The similarities however, ended there as rather than the long red flowing locks of hair he was used to seeing, this woman's hair color was instead, a bright emerald green. Her clothing was strange, instead of the familiar white nurse uniform he was expecting to see, a large grey cloak draped over most of her body, pinned together by an elaborate looking crest.

And then he saw them.

A pair of sharp pointed ears that very clearly stuck out from underneath the woman's green locks of hair. He couldn't help but stare, as two jade colored orbs stared back into his own.

"You should not be moving about just yet."

The woman's voice sounded as refined as she looked.

"It was cold. I wanted to close the window."

In contrast, his voice was hoarse, as expected from a prolonged lack of use.

The strange woman knelt down and helped him up back towards the edge of the bed. It took a good deal of effort on his part, but with someone's shoulder to lean on, he managed it without falling flat on his face again. He watched as the woman walked over towards the window and closed it. Even in the way she moved, with such aristocratic like grace, he couldn't help but be reminded of Mitsuru.

"How are your injuries?" The woman asked, as she took a seat on a nearby chair, "Any pain?"

Minato flexed his right arm once more, and a sudden surge of pain raced through the limb.

"In my right arm," He eventually answered.

"I see." The green-haired woman replied, "Please wait a moment, I'll be right back."

The woman quietly rose up and stepped out of the room. Once more, he found himself alone as his mind began to wander. Now that he had some time to regather his thoughts, the memories began to flow back in. This wasn't Earth, he wasn't in a hospital, and that strange woman wasn't cosplaying as an elf from one of Junpei's video games. Given the fact that he had fought with an actual fire-breathing dragon, it wouldn't be too far off to say that the woman wasn't cosplaying as an elf, and rather that she _was_ an elf. An elf that apparently spoke Japanese for that matter.

It was a lot to take in all at once.

He wouldn't have the time to ponder though, as the door soon slid open once more. The emerald haired woman from before stepped into the room once again, closing the door on her way in. In her hands was a vial filled with some kind of purple colored liquid.

He raised an eyebrow when the vial was gently handed to him.

"It's a potion." She explained, answering his unvoiced question, "Drink it."

Minato stared at the vial for a brief moment, mentally debating whether or not he should actually ingest the strange liquid. Eventually, his thirst won over his skepticism and he uncorked the top of the vial. It smelt of herbs, of what kind, he could not discern. Tipping the vial over his mouth, he downed the potion in one go. The liquid was as warm as it was rough, but the taste wasn't too bad.

His right arm began to twitch. He assumed that was the potion taking effect, and while it was not exactly painful, it could be described as an uncomfortable feeling. The feeling soon began to spread throughout his body and he could feel a tingling sensation. It was a strange experience, different from that of Persona healing; a strange one, but not a bad one all-together.

"Is that better?"

He flexed his right arm again.

This time, the movement wasn't accompanied by anymore pain. He tested the various other muscles of his body as well, and found that not only was most of the pain gone, most of the stiffness was as well.

"Yes," He eventually nodded, "… Thank you."

"You're welcome," The elf-woman replied, "Tell me stranger, what is your name?"

"Minato Arisato."

A pause.

And then a gleam of recognition seemed to flash across her emerald-green eyes.

"Am I correct to presume that you hail from the Eastern lands?"

He blinked, unsure of how to answer that question. Was there perhaps a nation equivalent to that of Japan in this world? He did not know, and as various thoughts and questions raced throughout his mind, the familiar voice from before dragged his attention back towards the woman in question.

"Your name is similar to those that do," She helpfully added.

In the end, he supposed that it was technically true, so he simply nodded.

"I am Riveria Ljos Alf of the Loki Familia; it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

He wasn't sure what to make of that introduction either, so he simply nodded again.

"Arisato-san then." The woman began, "Tell me, what exactly were you doing _alone_ on the 51st floor of the dungeon?"

That was another question that he had no answer to. Terms like the 51st floor or dungeon meant nothing to him, the only dungeon that he knew of was Tartarus, and wherever he was earlier, it was definitely not Tartarus.

"I don't know."

Riveria had a skeptical look on her face.

"You… Don't know?"

Minato hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to explain.

"… When I woke up," He eventually began, "I found myself there."

Riveria did not immediately respond.

"You do not believe me," He blankly stated.

"Did you expect me to?"

He simply shrugged at that.

"… It's not impossible," She pondered, "And if you were going to lie, I doubt that you would have decided on such a ridiculous tale. But…"

He raised an eyebrow when she trailed off.

"But…?"

"You would be implying that somebody was responsible for your predicament," She replied, a frown etched onto her face, "There is a rather short list of people that can accomplish a feat like that."

He grew quiet at that. It seemed that Riveria had the idea that somebody had knocked him out and left him there. While that wasn't the case, just how believable was the actual truth? Should he tell her about the fact that he was more than likely from a different world?

"Tell me Arisato-san, whose Familia are you in?" Riveria asked, breaking him out his stupor.

That was another question in which he had no answer to. Evidently, there were a lot of those. Familia was another term that he was unfamiliar with as well. He mulled it over, and in the end, decided that he was better off simply answering her questions truthfully. He owed her that courtesy at the very least, for her hospitality.

"I don't have a Familia."

Riveria crossed her arms over her chest.

"Arisato-san, do you expect me to believe that you survived the 51st floor of the dungeon without a Falna?"

He didn't know what a Falna was, but he doubted that he possessed one, so he simply nodded.

"Enough with the games Arisato-san," The elf's voice took on a colder tone, "If you do not wish to answer my questions, then please say so from the beginning. Otherwise, you are wasting my time and your own time."

Minato frowned.

"… But it's the truth."

Riveria leveled a cold, calculating glare at him. He did not back down and instead chose to hold her gaze as a couple of tense seconds passed by in silence. Time seemed to have slowed down to a crawl, as the seconds continued to tick by. Eventually, after a good minute had passed, Riveria finally spoke.

"There is a way to find out if you are speaking the truth or not."

"How…?"

"It is quite simple," The elf stated, " _If_ you are willing to allow us to check for your Falna."

"… And how would you do that?" He dubiously asked.

Riveria stood up and made her way towards the exit, before pausing underneath the doorframe.

"Through the help of our Goddess of course."

* * *

When Riveria had used the term Goddess, he wasn't sure what to expect.

A short scantily-clad red-head however, was definitely not on his list of possibilities. When the red-head had introduced herself as Loki, the goddess of the Loki Familia, he had been quite surprised. The red-head definitely didn't give off the powerful vibe that one assumed that a deity would. In fact, out of everybody else in the room, she was probably the least imposing of them all.

It was a good thing that he had learned early on, that appearances could be deceiving.

"So, to summarize, you woke up and found yourself on the 51st floor of the dungeon, with no idea how you got there," Loki narrated, as she sat behind a wooden desk with her arms crossed over her chest.

He nodded at that.

"Arisato-san claims that he does not possess a Falna, Loki-sama," Riveria added, "Or a Familia either, for that matter."

"Hmm… I see, I see," Loki mused, "What do you think Finn-kun?"

"Finn-kun", who had introduced himself as Finn Deimne, was a rather short individual with almost child-like features. Given the fact that Loki was apparently a goddess, it didn't really surprise him when Finn had introduced himself as the captain of the Loki Familia, despite his child-like appearance.

"Well, it certainly is a bit of a far-fetched tale," Finn replied, before shrugging, "Although, stranger things _have_ happened, so he's either a really good liar or he's telling the truth."

"And you Gareth?" Loki asked.

The final person in the room that had yet to speak, Gareth Landrock, had a unreadable expression on his face. With his rugged beard and short muscular frame, he couldn't help but be reminded of the Dwarves from Junpei's video games. Seeing as how Riveria was apparently an elf, it probably wouldn't be too far off to assume the older man to be a dwarf.

"I'm with Riveria, I don't buy it," Gareth gruffly answered, "But, there's one surefire way to find out, Loki-sama."

"Yeah, that's true," Loki agreed, as she stood up from her chair, "Finn-kun can you hand me a knife?"

"Of course, Loki-sama," Finn replied, before pulling out a small dagger, "Here you are."

"Thanks Finn-kun~" The red-head hummed as she took the dagger from the blonde, "You know, I believe you Arisato-kun," Loki continued as she merrily skipped over with the dagger in hand, "Buuuut, we still have to check, just to make sure."

Minato watched as the red-head pulled out an empty chair and sat it in front of him.

"And what are you basing your assessment off of, Loki-sama?" Riveria curiously asked.

"My intuition~" The red-head replied as she plopped into the seat, "Hey Arisato-kun, I'm going to need you to do something for me."

He raised an eyebrow at the red-head that now sat in front of him.

"I'm going to need you to strip~"

He blinked.

"… What?"

"She means that she needs you to remove your shirt" Finn helpfully supplied, "She needs to see your back in order to check for your Falna."

"Yeah so come on, strip already. I don't have all day," Loki replied, with an amused look on her face, "I'm a very busy woman you know."

With a slight frown, he slowly stood up and began to slip out of the rather loose shirt he was in. While he would rather not go without the shirt, as it was already quite cold even with one, it wasn't as if he was left with much of a choice in the matter. He needed answers as much as they did, and failing to comply with them would only lead to more problems that he would honestly rather not deal with.

The clothing came off, revealing his pale, slender build. Turning around, so that his back was the side that faced the would-be goddess, he found himself staring straight at the vicinity of Riveria Ljos Alf. The elf in question briefly returned the eye-contact, before hastily turning her head away.

He raised an eyebrow, but otherwise said nothing.

The sharp point of the knife could be felt on his back. After a brief moment, he could feel the bandages that had been wrapped around most of his torso and chest slowly fall to the floor. He could feel her fingers trace over his now bare back, the warm, wet sensation that felt oddly similar to that of fresh blood. It was a bit unnerving, as it felt as if he were the subject of some kind of strange occult ritual.

A cold, almost indescribable tingle, traced through his back like an electric current.

He could feel his muscles go rigid in response.

"Mmm… Relax, will you? If I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead already," Loki hummed, "We're almost done anyway."

He didn't doubt that, although her comments did little to ease the unnerving feeling that had been building up inside of him. He let out a deep breath and forced his muscles to relax. A few more minutes passed by in an almost anxious-like silence.

Unsurprisingly, it was the scantily-clad Goddess that had been the one to break the silence.

"Looks like my intuition was right~"

The amusement in her voice stood out in stark contrast to the atmosphere in the room. While subtle, he could still make out the brief flashes of surprise and shock on the faces of the various individuals in the room. Now whether or not that was a good thing, he wasn't sure.

Finn let out a soft chuckle.

"That only brings up even more questions though."

"Finn's right about that," Gareth agreed, "Just _what_ exactly happened on the 51st floor?"

All of the eyes in the room were soon zeroed in on him once more.

"Aiz-tan told me that when she found you, the Cadmus inside had already been dealt with," Loki explained, the amusement from before no longer present, "What happened in the Cadmus' lair? How did someone with no Falna manage to defeat a high-level monster like that?"

It dawned on him at that moment, that everyone in the room had come to the conclusion that he had been the one to slay that dragon back in the dungeon. They were mistaken in that regard; he had not been the one to kill that monster.

Rather, the ones responsible were something else entirely.

So, he corrected them.

* * *

Blazing red flames spit out from the jaws of the dragon once more.

This time however, he was prepared. Quickly bringing the evoker towards his right temple, he pulled the trigger. A familiar rush of power followed, along with the sound of shattering glass as a surge of raw energy filled the air.

 _Bufula_

A wall of ice rose up from the ground, standing in between him and the flames. The red-hot stream of fire crashed into the pillar of ice, creating an abundance of steam in the air all the while. While the wall of ice lost some of its size, the icy pillar held firm in its defense.

Seeing its chance, Siegfried advanced forward and attacked. Balmung tore through rock-hard scales as the dragon-slaying sword embedded itself deep into the side of the dragon. The beast let out a howl in retaliation and flapped its wings, creating a mighty gale that sent the Persona flying backwards.

 _Zionga._

A bolt of raw lightning shot forward. The electricity did its damage, as a good chunk of flesh and scales were all but seared off from its left forelimb. Another stream of flames was the dragon's angry response, and he returned in kind with another layer of ice.

The battle continued on in a similar fashion.

Flames and intense heat would continually spew out from the creature's mouth while pillars of ice were hastily formed in defense. A good distance between him and the dragon was always maintained, as to avoid stepping into the range of those rather dangerous looking claws. Siegfried would weave in and out of the fight, avoiding swipes from a meaty forelimb or swings from its massive armored tail all the while.

Fighting against the dragon was no different than fighting against one of the Arcana Shadows. Against enemies of this magnitude, patience was the key, slowly chipping away one piece at a time, all while withstanding all of its attacks the entire way; until an opportunity for a lethal blow presented itself.

That was how SEES dealt with the immensely powerful Arcana Shadows.

Through a mental command, he positioned Siegfried into a spot where the dragon-slaying hero would command the dragon's attention. Naturally, because of how much of a threat Balmung posed, the dragon lashed out at the Persona as soon as it moved within striking distance. That provided the opening that he needed as he dash forward, away from his hastily formed shelter of ice.

With Aroundight firmly grasped in his hands, he plunged it into the eye of the beast. The dragon let out another howl as it flailed about, throwing him around like a ragdoll before he was forced to let go of the short-sword. As he sailed through the air, another mental command was issued and Siegfried easily caught him before he became a splattered mess of blood and guts against the wall.

The Persona gently brought him back down towards the ground. The dragon roared and swiped its large forelimb at the ground in pain, kicking up large piles of dirt and debris all the while. Keeping a good distance away from the frenzied monster, he kept a tight grip on his evoker as he watched the beast continue to thrash about. The ground continued to shake as the dragon began to charge forward in a rage. As a giant forelimb came swiping down at him, he did the most sensible thing to do in that situation.

 _Run._

Ducking underneath its claws, he began to run, before a massive scaled tail smashed into the ground in front of him, blocking the path. Scrambling, he jumped over it in a hurry as he tried to gain some more distance between him and the dragon. Siegfried attempted to draw the monster's attention, but the beast was having none of it, as another flap of its wings sent the Persona flying back once again.

The dragon-slaying Persona was quickly returned to the Sea of Souls as he began to cycle through the various Personas in his mind. Bringing the evoker up towards his head, he began to pull the trigger before the walls behind him burst open. They came from every direction, hundreds of large caterpillar like creatures flooded into the dragon's lair.

In a panic, he pulled the trigger and the current Persona in mind came to form.

Luckily, it was a powerful one as Surt, in his charred blackened form materialized in front of him. The ruler of fire gave a maddening grin as it saw the massive amount of enemies for it to slay. That specific Persona had always been a bit too eager for battle, but this time, he couldn't wait to appease it, as he had no wishes of being trampled by a stampede of oversized caterpillars.

 _Maragidyne._

An explosion of fire. As if the flames had spewed from the jaws of the very dragon he had been fighting, the fires from his spell burned through the waves of monsters. They burned and burned until the outer layers of their skin all but melted away. Rather than exposing an exoskeleton and muscle however, a strange grey liquid instead, splurged out from their bodies. As the flames burned through the rest of them like wildfire, the fluids continued to leak out, flooding the entire area.

 **Corrosive** liquid.

The grass on the ground melted away to the touch. As the liquid splattered throughout the area, Surt shattered away on impact. An agonized howl from the dragon behind him alerted him to the fact that the beast had made the same mistake as he had. Time seemed to slow down as his brain continued to process the rather absurd situation he was currently in.

The first thought that came to mind was protection.

 _Makarakarn._

And thus, the barrier was formed. The sizzling sound that resulted from the corrosive fluids making impact with the barrier indicated that it wasn't meant to last. It needed to be stronger, so he poured even more power into it. At this point, it became a battle of attrition.

It was a battle that he was not going to win.

Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, the barrier finally gave out. Out of reflex, his arms flew up to shield his face. Pain immediately registered in his mind as his skin felt as if it were being burned away. Pain continued to flare throughout the various parts of his body.

Pain.

And then…

Darkness.

* * *

Loki was skeptical.

In spite of what her intuition told her, she couldn't quite wrap her head around the fact that the blue-haired boy had managed to go head to head with one of the monsters on the 51st floor of the dungeon without a Falna. While his alibi seemed to match up with Finn's recalling of the battles on the 51st floor, including even the strange caterpillar-like monsters that leaked out corrosive fluids, the doubtfulness in her mind refused to go away.

That was strange, for it was unlike her to be indecisive.

And then Minato Arisato had done it. As if to back up the claims that Loki's intuition was never wrong, the blue-haired boy showed everybody in the room the proof that could not be denied. With a sound that distinctly sounded like shattering glass, in a light shimmer of blue, a strange creature emerged.

It was humanoid in shape, and yet it was obvious to everyone in the room that the creature was no human or God. Its skin was metallic and its limbs were so mechanical that one could very clearly see the screws embedded inside of the joints. The eyes held no pupils and instead glowered with an eerie shade of red that reminded one of the monsters in the dungeon.

Orpheus, he had called the creature.

And then as if that feat in itself had not been enough, Orpheus lifted a mechanical limb in the air and a thick sheet of ice coated the entire surface of the wall behind her. It had cast magic with a spell that required no chant. A light torrent of flame followed next, melting the frost off the walls. It had cast a _different_ spell with no chant.

The quiet stares from everybody in her Familia spoke volumes of the amount of surprise and shock that seemed to hang in the air. No chant magic was rare among adventurers, but having multiple spells that didn't require chants? She didn't think she knew of any adventures with magic like that. Her poor little Riveria-chan's eyes had grown so large that they almost looked comical.

If one could invoke a reaction like that from her Riveria-chan, then it had to have been some impressive magic.

At that point, Loki couldn't help but throw back her head and laugh.

Really now, _this_ was precisely why the human world was so much fun. Humans were such interesting creatures, so unpredictable, which made them all the more amusing to be around. The game of Gods and Familias in Orario was like a never-ending game of chess, only it was one where the rules were unknown and every move led to a new revelation that was just chock-full of surprises.

She _wanted_ him.

So naturally, being the Goddess of Trickery that she was, she began to plot out the necessary steps to obtain him.

"Hey, Arisato-kun," She began, a grin on her face, "How about you join my Familia?"

When the Goddess of Trickery wanted something, more often than not, she would get it.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** So why did it take me so long to update this? Well, to summarize it would because of school, general laziness, and a lack of drive to write. Also, as I've said in the first chapter, this was more or less my muse getting the better of me. It was written on a whim, so I wasn't really sure where I wanted to go with this story beyond the first chapter. After giving it some thought, I think that I've developed a general idea of how I want to proceed. Updates will probably still be sporadic, as this is probably going to be something that I work on when I want a change of pace from my other story. (Unless people REALLY want me to work on this more)

Anyway, those were my thoughts. If there were any grammatical mistakes in this, feel free to point them out so I can go back and fix them. As usual, hope you guys enjoy, and until next time~

-SFX


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3-**

 **Orario**

* * *

One signature here and another one over there.

Such was the life of an adventurer, or at the very least, such was the life of an adventurer that also happened to be a Familia captain. The quill continued to move at breakneck speeds in a practiced motion, until the very ink itself ran dry. There was a slight pause before he dipped his quill into the inkpot. He could feel his thumb begin to tingle once more as he brought the appendage up towards his face and brushed it over his lips.

It was an old quirk that Finn Deimne had always possessed.

His thumb would always feel a flash of pain when something dangerous was on the horizon. While to him it was simply his intuition, others would prefer to call it a precognition instead. He had developed a bit of a reputation over the years in regards to that. Most people put their utmost faith in his judgement, as he had been proven right more often than not.

Although it wasn't as if it took precognition to figure out that something was amiss with the events that were occurring as of late.

Ignoring the tingling of his thumb, the quill began to move once more. A simple signature was quickly scribbled onto the document, before the parchment was promptly handed over to the only other person in the room. A light hum was the only response he received from his Goddess, as Loki took a quick glance over the documents.

"Geh… That's a big hit to our finances," The red-haired goddess groaned, "We're probably going to be in the red for this month."

Finn simply gave his goddess an apologetic smile.

"We had to replace all of our equipment that we lost in the last expedition," He explained, "We left behind a lot of our gear as well when we were escaping from that new monster species."

"Better the equipment than my precious children though," Loki grinned, "We can always just get new weapons from the smiths anyway," She paused, before letting out a laugh, "Heh, they'll probably throw such a fit over it though."

Finn couldn't help but give a concerned smile. Goibniu's rage wasn't something he wanted to experience again. He had learned his lesson the hard way after he had returned to the old God of Smiths with a broken weapon, and to this day it was _still_ a chilling memory.

"Let's hope that he won't be too angry this time?"

Loki smirked but didn't comment on the matter any further.

"On another note Finn-kun, let's talk about the expedition," Loki began in a serious tone, "Specifically about the new monster species that caused such a riot."

Finn curled his lips into a frown.

"To be quite honest, I'm not exactly sure what to make of it. I've never seen a monster like that before… And then there were also those strange magic stones that they dropped…." Finn paused, letting out a small sigh, "I have a bad feeling about all of this. Something foul is brewing in the air, and I don't know what."

Loki crossed her arms over her chest.

"Tell me Finn-kun, you think any of this is related to our new friend?"

"He's a big question mark… And he's hiding a lot, but I don't think that he's directly related to the appearance of the monster new species," Finn replied as he began to sign papers once more, "I believe that Arisato-san's appearance is a completely different issue altogether, although that only makes things all the _more_ complicated."

"I had about the same thought process," Loki mused, "Too bad he rejected me though, would've been nice to have kept him close by."

Finn stopped moving his quill at that and turned towards his Goddess with a bemused smile.

"You know, I honestly expected you to be a little more upset, since he did decline _your_ invitation after all."

Loki was by no means a benevolent Goddess, but that didn't mean she was an unkind one either. She cared for her children as deeply as any parent would care for their child. Thus, it meant a lot to her when she offered an invitation to her Familia; it meant that someone had impressed her enough in one way or another and that she wanted you to become a part of her inner-circle. Loki was _not_ someone that was used to taking "no" for an answer.

And as such, Finn had been quite surprised that Loki seemed to be so nonchalant about it.

"I'm a bit annoyed, I'll admit it, but I'm sure he'll eventually figure out on his own that he needs us if he wants to accomplish his goals," Loki simply replied, "You remember what he said, right?"

Finn definitely remembered; it was hard not to. Minato Arisato had said that he was going to return to the 51st floor of the dungeon in order to look for clues as to how he had woken up there in the first place. And for one reason or another, he had been quite adamant in his stance about doing it alone; refusing his Goddess's invitation to join the Loki Familia.

It was a foolish endeavor, but he didn't blame him for that. The boy did not yet understand just how difficult of a task it was to travel down to the lower floors of the dungeon even with an entire Familia, much less doing so alone. His goddess was correct in that aspect, the boy would eventually have to seek out a powerful Familia to join if he wanted to accomplish his goals, and the number of Familias in Orario that could muster up expeditions for floors _that_ deep were few and far between.

What Finn didn't understand was why Loki seemed so confident.

"There are other paths he could choose to take Loki-sama," He pointed out, "Freya-sama being one of them."

His goddess simply smirked.

"Yeah, I can see why you might think that Finn-kun, _Freya_ does have an annoying habit of stealing what isn't hers," Loki sneered at the name, "I don't see that happening this time though; he's not her type."

Finn clasped his hands together and rested them over the table.

"Is that assumption based off of your intuition Loki-sama?"

She chuckled in response, a familiar glint in her eyes.

"It's the intuition of the _Trickster from Heaven_."

Loki was rarely wrong when it came to her intuition; Finn had come to learn that over the many years he had been with his goddess. They were similar in that regard, and it was for that reason that Loki had chosen him to be their Familia captain. If she truly believed that the boy would come to them soon enough, then it wasn't worth his time to question it.

"Are you going to let Ouranos-sama know?" He eventually asked, "I'd assume that the Guild would want to know about this little incident."

"The Guild? Nah, let's keep them out of the picture. They're a neutral entity and they've got no stake in this. This is _our_ Familia's business after all."

Finn only nodded in response before he returned back to his task of signing papers. In spite of her whimsical attitude, Finn knew that she took these things quite seriously and he trusted her judgement.

Loki had never led them astray in the past after all.

* * *

It was a nice day. The sun shone brightly overhead the city of Orario as its adventurers and citizens all hustled about with their own business. Any other time and he would've stopped to simply take in the sights of some of the massive buildings or the exotic looking people.

Today however, Minato Arisato simply walked past everyone and everything, paying no attention to how strange some of them appeared to be. He walked past elves, dwarves, and all other different manners of fantasy-like races of people without even taking a second glance. He didn't know where he was going, but that didn't matter, he wasn't walking in order to get somewhere. No, he was walking in order to find something out.

That _something_ being whether or not someone was currently following him.

He had noticed someone's gaze on him earlier, after leaving the Loki Familia's manor, but didn't pay it much attention. When he could still feel an almost piercing-like stare drilling holes into his back, even after the long walk into the inner city and its bustling crowds, that was when it occurred to him that he might have been followed.

He cut into a small alleyway between two rather large buildings, brushing past a group of elves that gave him an annoyed look. The alleyway led into a bunch of different twists and turns until he eventually found himself reaching a dead end. All the while, he could still feel that same pair of eyes digging into his back.

At this point, it became quite apparent that he had a stalker.

Unsure of what to expect, he slowly turned around.

He was met with a figure that looked oddly familiar, yet at the same time, he couldn't exactly recall how. Blonde hair and golden eyes weren't exactly common traits, so it seemed quite strange to him that he couldn't remember where he had seen the young woman that was currently standing in front of him.

He furrowed his brow as he tried to recall where he had seen this person before. Thinking back to some of the events as of late, a blurred image soon emerged from the cesspool of memories residing in his head. Eventually, he could recall someone's back and a mess of blonde hair that smelled of flowers. The memory was hazy, but he could still make out the important bits of information.

She was the woman that had carried him out of the dungeon.

He had become so engrossed in his thoughts that it had only just now occurred to him that they had been standing there in complete silence for at least a good five minutes. It wasn't the first time he had gotten lost in his own thoughts, although usually the other person would've snapped him out of it by now. The woman in front of him only continued to stare at him with an unreadable expression on her face.

While the silence was nice, he didn't plan on have a staring contest for the rest of the day.

"Why were you following me?"

The woman in front of him owlishly blinked, but otherwise said nothing. She remained frozen there, almost as if she wished to say something only to be stopped by something within her. Eventually, with a small nod, it seemed that she had finally decided on something and soon opened her mouth to speak.

"You do not have a Falna."

It was his turn to blink in response.

The voice had been little more than a whisper. It appeared that she was a rather soft-spoken individual. Although what she had said was true, it lead him to wonder just how exactly she knew.

"Did your Goddess tell you?"

She simply shook her head.

"You were eavesdropping then," He pointed out.

She didn't deny it, and only nodded in response.

He didn't particularly care if someone knew or not, but the less people that knew of it, the less attention it drew to him. He had come to learn from Loki that it wasn't exactly normal for someone to be able to survive a trip into the dungeon without a Falna. In fact, it was completely unheard of, and to come out alive from one of the deeper floors no less. Attention was _definitely_ not something he that wanted at the moment.

Or ever, really.

"… Can you keep it a secret?"

She blinked, tilting her head to the side ever so slightly.

"Okay."

He had been surprised at that. He had honestly been expecting her to ask for something in return for her silence. After all, if she had nothing to gain, what other reason would she have for following him all the way into the inner city only to let him know that she knew about his secret?

He didn't understand.

"Then… Why were you following me?"

She stared at him, with that same unreadable expression from before.

"How…?" She eventually settled with.

He frowned, unsure of what she was asking.

It was becoming quite apparent to him at this point that the young woman in front of him was a person of few words. He wasn't exactly someone that spoke a lot either, but he at least made his intentions clear with as few words as possible.

"How?" He repeated, "How what?"

"How are you strong?" She quickly clarified, "Without a Falna?"

He raised an eyebrow in response.

"If you were eavesdropping, then you should already know."

She slowly nodded in agreement with a strange glint in her eyes.

"Persona…" She simply stated, the word sounding foreign to her, "Teach me."

Now that was something he hadn't been expecting. To be honest, he had no qualms about helping her, the only problem was that she wanted something that he was unable to provide.

"I can't."

The woman in front of him only continued to stare at him with a determined look on her face.

"Why?" She questioned, unrelenting.

He briefly thought about how he was going to explain that to someone unfamiliar with a Persona.

"… It's not something that I can just teach," He eventually settled on, "Why do you want to learn how to use a Persona anyway?"

She was an adventurer wasn't she? What did she need a Persona for?

"I want to become stronger," She answered, her eyes burning with unwavering determination.

He could understand that feeling, the desire to become stronger. Akihiko was the same way, and his eyes had burned with that very same fire. He didn't know _why_ she wanted to become stronger, but he didn't particularly care either. That was her own business, and as much as he wanted to return the favor for saving his life, what she wanted wasn't something that he could provide.

His Persona abilities weren't exactly something that he could just _teach_ someone. He wasn't even sure how he still had _access_ to them without the Dark Hour in the first place. He wouldn't even know where to begin in seeing if she was a suitable candidate to possess one, Mitsuru and Ikutsuki had always been the ones to bring in new Persona users to SEES.

"I can't teach you," He simply stated as he began to walk past her, "… Sorry."

She didn't try to impede him as he walked around her, nor did she say anything, and for that he was grateful. However, when it became apparent to him that there was a constant thudding in the dirt coming from another pair of footsteps behind him, he had to fight back the urge to sigh.

"Why are you _still_ following me?"

She simply tilted her head in confusion.

"I am not," She answered, before gesturing towards the sheathed weapon hanging from her side, "Going to the blacksmith."

He only gave her a wary look, but otherwise said nothing.

* * *

It turned out that she had been telling the truth about going to the blacksmith. The young woman eventually went off on her own and he was finally left alone in peace. The problem was that he still had no idea where he was going, so in the end, he simply decided to walk around aimlessly and take in the sights of the city. Certain areas with easily recognizable landmarks were stored away in his memory to be used for future geographical references.

Eventually, after a good deal of walking, he had gotten a decent grasp of the city's layout. Orario, or the Labyrinth City as the locals liked to affectionately call it, was by no means a large city. It had taken a couple of hours, but within that time he had scoured through enough of the city to understand that it could be broken up into eight distinct sections, with the large tower standing above the dungeon located firmly in the middle.

The sun had begun to set, and he soon found himself sitting on a nearby bench simply watching the various different people walk by. As he idly sat there by himself, watching as a pair of dwarves passed by, the true magnitude of the situation he currently was in began to finally hit him. He wasn't on Earth anymore and he had no idea _how_ or _why_.

There were no Shadows to fight here and there was no Dark Hour or Tartarus. There was no _SEES_ here. He was… _Alone_. Loneliness was a feeling that he was all too familiar with. SEES had provided a brief respite from that affliction, but now?

Once again, Minato Arisato was alone.

It had never bothered him in the past. He had gotten used to being alone, but over time, he had grown fond of having companions. All of a sudden, being alone again wasn't as simple as it had been in the past. It was a lot harder to stomach now and it had only been a couple of days at the most, but already he found himself missing SEES, missing his friends.

His intuition told him that the Dungeon probably held the key to returning home.

But, what if it didn't? What would he do if he could never return back and he could never see his friends again? A harsh sickly feeling began to well up deep within him, as if it were eating him away from the inside out.

 _Fear_.

Fear that he wouldn't see anyone from SEES again. Fear of the pain that came along with it, the pain of being separated from someone close to you. A brief, hazy image of Shinjiro Aragaki flashed before his eyes and he could feel that _disgusting_ feeling only continue to grow, slowly creeping along inside of him.

Would they be fine without him?

He was the Wild Card. He was the _key_ to their success. What would happen during the next full moon if he wasn't there?

…

 _He didn't want to find out._

 _He would go back into the dungeon._

 _He would head back towards the dragon's lair._

 _He would—_

The soft _crunch_ of a wrapper being folded open shook him out of his thoughts. Slowly turning his head, he found himself staring at the same blonde-haired woman who had been following him earlier during the day. That same woman who was now sitting on the bench next to him, taking small little bites out of some kind of brown pastry in her hands.

Whatever anxiousness he had been feeling earlier simply seemed to flow out of his body like the currents in a waterfall. He couldn't help but let out a breath he had been unknowingly holding in. Whether it was a sigh out of annoyance or relief, he couldn't even tell anymore.

"Why are you _still_ following me?"

The young woman in question only tilted her head to the side in confusion. He couldn't help but get a feeling of déjà vu at the strange scenario that was playing out.

"I am not," She simply replied as she pointed over towards a small pastry stall in the corner of the street, "Wanted Jagamarukun."

"Jagamarukun" he assumed, was the small brown pastry in her hands.

At this point, he couldn't actually tell whether or not she was still following him or if this truly was just a coincidence. It didn't help that her face was as stoic as ever. It wasn't often that he couldn't get a good read on people through their facial cues, but then again, he had never met anyone quite like the woman currently sitting beside him. Although now that he knew that she hadn't been shadowing him for any nefarious reasons earlier, he didn't particularly care anymore if she _did_ want to follow him around. She had saved his life before, so he still owed her anyway. If she wanted to follow him around, then he would simply let it be.

"I never did get to thank you for saving me," He eventually began, "So, thank you."

She simply shook her head.

"Lefiya," She replied, "She healed you."

He wasn't sure who that was, but he would have to thank her in the future as well.

"By the way, in the dungeon…" He trailed off, "When you found me, did you happen to notice anything strange?"

She stared at him.

"Strange?" She questioned with a curious look in her eyes.

"Anything… Out of the ordinary?" He attempted to clarify, "Something that you don't usually see in the dungeon?"

She didn't show any expression on her face. For a moment, nobody said anything and only the bustling sound of the city's people moving about could be heard. Eventually, after what felt like a good couple of minutes, she nodded.

"Yes," She simply answered, before raising a finger up and pointing at himself, "You."

He couldn't help but let out a sigh. She _had_ to have been doing this deliberately.

"Anything _besides_ me?" He added as an afterthought, "Did you happen to see a… Strange monster?"

It was possible that she might've seen the Reaper or some other clues relating to Tartarus. The woman's face remained as still as ever, but he'd like to imagine that she was at the very least giving the question _some_ thought. After a brief moment, she shook her head and he could feel a little bit of hope die inside of him as well.

"I see…"

If she had noticed the distress in his tone, she didn't point it out. Instead, she simply took another nibble out of her pastry before taking a brief glance at him and back towards her pastry.

"… Do you want to try?" She hesitantly asked, holding out the half-eaten pastry.

He simply stared at the offered treat in her hands. It took him a moment to realize that she was attempting to comfort him, in her own strange little way. Sweets weren't exactly a favorite of his, but he could at least appreciate the gesture, as strange as it was. Slowly reaching out his hand, he accepted the gift and took a small bite of the pastry himself. It was still warm and as he expected, tasted quite sweet.

He supposed that she was similar to him in that regard, comforting others was not something that he was very good at either. It had become quite apparent with him after being in SEES for so long that he had left much to be desired when it came to understanding even just the basic nuances of human interaction. From what he could gleam from their brief conversations, if one could even call them that, she was much of the same.

"Is it good?"

Handing the small pastry back to her, he began to stand up.

"Yeah," He replied, "Thanks."

The night lights were beginning to turn on as the sun had all but set over the horizon. Perhaps there wasn't a way to return home, or perhaps there was, but he wouldn't find out if he didn't at least attempt to look for a way back. He had arrived here in this world on the 51st floor, so if there were any answers to be found, it would be on that very same floor.

Staring at the massive tower that cast a looming shadow over the city, he began to move forward.

* * *

In retrospect, he should've expected this.

He didn't belong to any Familia, and because he didn't belong to any Familia, he didn't have a Falna. A person without a Falna going into the dungeon was probably more or less seen as being suicidal. So, it shouldn't have come to a surprise to him when he was denied entry into the dungeon by the Guild house.

When the receptionist at the Guild had discovered that he wasn't a registered adventurer, that was when he knew that things were going to get complicated. She had then given him a rather stern lecture about trying to enter the Dungeon without a Falna. Then there was also the fact that he didn't have any adventuring equipment on him as well, which led to _another_ very stern lecture about trying to enter the dungeon unprepared.

All in all, the entire experience ended up being a colossal waste of time.

As he stood outside of the Guild house, he could see that the street lights were now on full blast. The sun had already long set and a night sky that looked quite different from the one back at home now hung over the city. He was starting to regret not taking up Loki on her offer now, even if he had his apprehensions about joining a Familia.

He supposed that sneaking into the dungeon was always a possibility.

Although having to constantly do that in the future was going to be more trouble than it was worth. From what he had heard about the dungeon from the Guild receptionist, he doubted that he would be able to get back to the 51st floor within one trip. He'd probably need supplies as well, and in order to obtain supplies he'd need money first. It was going to be hard to obtain money if he wasn't allowed entry into the dungeon.

Getting a job was another possibility, but that meant having to find someone willing to hire him in the first place. Then there was also the fact that waiting on a payout from a salaried job was going to take substantially longer than simply turning in monster crystals from the dungeon into the Guild house vendor. He had come to learn that an adventurer's income came mostly from the monster crystals and item drops they were able to obtain from the dungeon. The Guild house was the main center of trade for these drops, trading currency upfront for whatever objects of value that the adventurer managed to find during their trip into the dungeon.

It was quick, simple, and to the point.

And he always did like keeping things simple.

In the end, it seemed that joining a Familia was probably the best option here.

The Guild receptionist had given him a list of every single registered Familia in Orario. It was a rather long list, easily with over fifty different names of Gods and Goddesses. When he narrowed it down to exploration-type Familias specifically, the list grew noticeably smaller. The Loki Familia stood out on the top of the list, highlighted as one of the more powerful Familia in the city.

Loki had been quite clear with him that her offer was still on the table should he ever change his mind. He had simply brushed it off at the time, but now because of situation at hand, that offer was starting to look a lot more enticing. With the other Familias on the list, he would still have to apply and even then, there was no guarantee that he would even be accepted.

At this point, it was an easy decision to make.

He supposed that he owed Loki anyway, since her Familia had been the ones to rescue him from the aftermath of the battle on the 51st floor. She might've had ulterior motives for inviting him to her Familia, but he didn't particularly care, since he was simply using her as an entry-pass of sorts into the dungeon himself. She had her uses for him and vice-versa; it was a simple give-and-take relationship.

The only problem now was finding a place to sleep for the night.

He had no money so staying at an inn was out of the question. Sleeping on the floor was an option, but he'd rather not do that if possible. He could recall that he had walked past an area earlier with a few rundown looking buildings that were more than likely abandoned. As unsanitary as it sounded sleeping in an abandoned building, it at the very least beat sleeping on the floor outside.

He began to walk towards the general direction from where he remembered the abandoned buildings stood. Navigating through the city at night proved to be a difficult task, as certain landmarks that he had been using as his guides were a lot harder to spot in the night than compared in broad daylight.

Eventually, after a little bit of bumbling around, he found himself standing in front of an old abandoned church. The rusty looking gate opened without too much of a fuss. The inside of the building was as desolate as it was silent. A rundown altar stood at the end of the room, having definitely seen better days. As rundown as the place looked however, the benches at the very least looked comfortable enough to get a decent night's sleep.

Taking off his blazer, he placed it on the bench as a makeshift pillow before lying down in a more comfortable position. The wooden bench was hard _and_ it was cold, but he would make due for the night, and soon enough, the darkness of sleep finally claimed him.

…

…

…

He had no idea how much time had passed before he had been stirred awake by the sound of the door creaking open, but given how tired he still felt, it probably hadn't been too long. As he slowly stood up, he found himself staring at a white-haired boy with red eyes. The boy wore what appeared to be a small breastplate and a brown leather coat. A backpack hung loosely on his back and a small dagger could be seen strapped to his side.

"Ah…" The boy said, breaking the silence as he scratched the side of his face, "Do you not have a place to stay?"

* * *

 **Author's Notes-** I guess I'm back? Haven't written anything in months, so I'm probably real rusty. I'm sure I'll get back into the flow eventually though.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4-**

 **Trickery is the Game  
**

* * *

Bell Cranel sat across the table from him with a curious look on his face.

When Minato had woken up to the sound of someone opening the gate of the abandoned church, he wasn't quite sure what to expect. Finding out that the abandoned building wasn't really abandoned after all and being offered a place to stay for the night had definitely taken him by surprise. A hidden trapdoor next to the altar and a long winding staircase that led to a surprisingly well-kept living room was not exactly what he had in mind either.

"Ah… Would you like something to drink?" Bell asked, a small smile on his face, "Or maybe something to eat?"

He shook his head.

"Well, I know it's not much, but please feel free to make yourself at home." Bell said warmly, an earnest smile on his face, "I'd introduce you to my Goddess, but she isn't going to be back for a couple days."

He let out a soft hum.

"You are an adventurer then?"

"Yeah!" Bell happily nodded, "I'm a member of the Hestia Familia. Oh, I'm just a beginner though."

"I see."

He had a feeling that Bell was an adventurer, judging from his equipment. It wasn't surprising to hear that he was still a novice either, judging from how young he looked. If he had to guess, he'd say that Bell was a good two or three years younger than he was. He wasn't sure how to feel about kids being allowed to become adventurers, but then again, Ken had done a good job in showing everyone at SEES that he could pull his own weight even as an elementary school student.

It wasn't his world anyway, so it wasn't his place to say.

"Are you an adventurer too, Arisato-san?"

He supposed that he _basically_ could be considered to be one, given that he was a frequent explorer of Tartarus.

"You could say that."

Bell raised a curious eyebrow at that.

"I'm not registered with the Guild," He amended, seeing the boy's confusion.

"Not registered…?" Bell repeated, before his eyes lit up in realization, "Oh! Is that why you don't have a place to stay? You just arrived in Orario to register as an adventurer with the Guild, right?"

Minato only nodded in response.

He had come to learn over time that it was better to let people fill in the blanks themselves. Especially when it came to lies, as it led to far less questions that way. He wasn't the most talkative individual to begin with anyway, so this was usually the best option for him.

"Then I guess that makes you a rookie like me," Bell grinned, "Have you been to the Guild house yet?"

He simply nodded once again.

"I've checked it out."

"Oh, have you met Eina-san then?" Bell asked curiously.

"Eina-san?" Minato questioned in return, "I'm assuming that she is one of the receptionists?"

"Yeah! She's my Guild advisor," Bell replied with a smile, "She has brown hair and wears glasses. Oh, and she's an elf."

A brown-haired elf that wore glasses?

Why did that sound oddly familiar? Then he remembered the receptionist that had stopped him from entering the dungeon. And the _lecture_. The ridiculously long and stern lecture that he had been given about the dangers of trying to enter the dungeon without a Falna and without proper equipment.

"Oh..." He couldn't help but let out a sigh. " _Her_."

Bell raised an eyebrow.

"Do you know Eina-san?"

"You could say that we've met," He muttered.

Bell gave a hesitant smile.

"Oh... Well, I know that she can be a little strict at times, but she's really nice once you get to know her!"

He didn't doubt that.

The woman had simply been doing her job. A job that involved granting people access into a place that could potentially lead to their untimely demise. He couldn't blame her for the ridiculously long lecture, not when it involved the dangers that the dungeon held. After all, nobody wants to feel responsible for letting someone go and get themselves killed.

The conversation soon died out and an awkward silence hung in the air.

Bell began to fidget with his fingers, probably trying to think of a way to reignite the conversation. From he had observed; personality types like Bell did not feel comfortable sitting in silence. He could see that they were different in that regard, where Bell seemed to be a rather social person and he… Well, he wasn't exactly what people would call a social butterfly.

A yawn threatened to escape before he quickly stifled it with his hand.

"A-ah, well it _is_ getting kind of late." Bell said, rubbing the back of his head. "Maybe we should go to sleep for the night?"

He simply nodded in gratitude. It had been a long day and his weariness had finally started to get to him. Not to mention the fact that he had fallen asleep earlier only to suddenly be woken up.

"The guest room's right over there," Bell pointed out, "Oh, and the bathroom is right next door."

He gave a nod in acknowledgement as he made his way towards the direction that white-haired boy was pointing at.

"Oh, and Arisato-san?"

He looked over his shoulder.

"Good night," Bell said with an earnest smile.

He simply replied with another nod of his head.

* * *

Sleep had come easily for him, and the next morning had arrived a little too soon for his liking. But then again, he never had been much of a morning person to begin with. Bell Cranel had already been up and about, preparing his equipment for another trip into the dungeon by the time he had managed to roll out of his bed.

The boy had invited him to for breakfast at a pub that was simply known as the Hostess of Fertility. When he had mentioned that he did not have the money to pay for it, the boy simply brushed him off and told him not to worry about it. At was at this point that he had come to learn that Bell Cranel was simply a very kind-hearted individual.

Perhaps even too kind for his own good.

The Hostess of Fertility was a lively place that was packed with all kinds of different people. Apparently, the pub was one of the more well-known pubs in the city and was one of the more popular ones as well. What had stood out aside from the quality of the meal, were the employees, who all happened to be attractive females, judging from the stares they got from the male customers.

The uniform reminded him of a maid outfit, and he couldn't help but think that one of the main reasons for the popularity of the pub happened to be related to the uniforms. Evidently, the lure of maid cafes even extended to the far reaches of different worlds all together. Junpei would've loved it here. Bell Cranel seemed to be friends with a good number of the employees here, which didn't really surprise him, given the nature of Bell's personality.

Bell Cranel was the type of person that could get along with anyone.

The breakfast at the Hostess of Fertility had been a hearty one. It had been a while since he had a meal of that quality. He would have to make sure to return the favor once he made some money; of course as expected, the white-haired boy had simply told him not to worry about it. They parted ways not too long after, with Bell headed back towards the dungeon and he towards the direction of Twilight Manor.

While the Tower of Babel could easily be considered the largest _and_ the most imposing building in town, Twilight Manor was not far behind in that regard. Aside from the tower itself, most of the other buildings in town paled in comparison to the massive structure that was known as the Twilight Manor. With the Loki Familia widely considered to be the most powerful Familia in Orario, it shouldn't be much of a surprise for them to own such a massive castle near the edge of the city.

As he stood in front of the manor's massive gates, he couldn't help but feel a familiar gaze on him. Craning his neck towards one of the castle's massive towers, he could see a pair of familiar golden irises staring back at him from atop of the tower's highest window. The look on her face was as expressionless as ever.

The gates soon opened and he was greeted with an armed adventurer who he assumed was acting as the guard.

"State your business."

"I am here to see your Goddess."

A brief nod and a signal to wait was all that he received before the gates slowly closed. He wasn't sure why the Loki Familia felt that it was needed to have all of this security, but he supposed that being known as the most powerful Familia in the city came with its own host of problems. Eventually, after a good five minutes, the gates soon opened once more, and this time a familiar face was there to greet him.

The small figure of Finn Deimne stood impassively in front of him.

"I wasn't expecting you to come back so soon."

Minato was surprised that the Pallum had even been expecting him to return at all.

"Is that a bad thing?"

Finn simply smiled as he shook his head.

"On the contrary, I think it's a great thing. Although…" Finn paused, brushing his thumb over his lips, "Well, it doesn't really matter. Follow me, let's talk in my office."

The Pallum motioned for him to follow before walking away. He obliged and trailed behind the shorter man as they made their way through the Loki Familia's imposing castle. There were corridors upon corridors that would later lead to an almost never-ending flight of stairs before finally stopping in front of a massive wooden door.

The inside of the office was as eye-catching as he expected it to be. Everything about the room seemed to scream out high-class quality. He hadn't seen much of the castle from his first time here, but from what he _had_ seen, everything looked to be of the highest quality and Finn's office appeared to be no different.

Finn sat across from him, hands clasped together over the table.

"So, I'm going to guess that you decided to take up Loki-sama on her offer?"

He simply gave a curt nod in response.

"Hmm…" Finn mumbled as he put a hand towards his chin, "Well, you're going to have to wait a bit before you can be properly instated into the Familia. Loki-sama is currently attending a banquet and won't be back until tomorrow."

He raised an eyebrow in surprise.

He could recall that Bell Cranel's goddess had also been away, perhaps most of the gods and goddesses of the city were attending the banquet? Either way, that put a bit of a damper on his plans, and he couldn't help but regret not taking up Loki on her offer sooner. Time wasted waiting could've been time spent looking for clues in the dungeon.

"You're welcome to stay here until Loki-sama returns." The Pallum offered, "We have more than enough extra space to accommodate you."

"That… Would be helpful." Minato eventually replied, "Thank you."

"I can have someone show you around the castle later today," Finn helpfully supplied, "Although for now, I have a request for you."

He simply gave a nod once more, prompting the Pallum to continue.

"As you already know, from our earlier introduction, I am the captain of the Loki Familia," Finn casually began, "It's my job to make sure I have a good feel of everyone's combat strength under my command."

He had a feeling that he knew where the Pallum was heading with this.

"Since you're going to be a part of our Familia soon," Finn continued, "I'd like to have the chance to get a good read on your strength."

"… And how would you do that?"

The Pallum simply smiled.

"I would suggest a spar."

"I assume that this isn't something that you regularly do," Minato dryly remarked.

"You're right about that," Finn nodded in agreement, "But I also don't regularly get people that can survive a battle against the Cadmus without a Falna."

Minato couldn't help but concede to the fact that the shorter man had a point there.

"That, and the adventurer spirit in me is curious as well," Finn continued with a light-hearted smirk on his face, "Come on, humor me why don't you?"

He let out a sigh in response.

"Let me guess, you want to have this spar right now."

Finn only chuckled.

"Are you a mind-reader as well Arisato-san?"

* * *

They stood face to face against one another in the middle of a courtyard within the Loki Familia grounds. As one would have expected from such an impressive castle, the courtyard wasn't much different. Smooth verdant lawns covered over most of the area with an uneven flagstone path cutting through the middle. A few tall oak trees stood overhead, each casting their own looming shadows into the grass.

A small crowd had started to form, other members from the Loki Familia that had come down to check out the commotion most likely. He recognized a couple of faces in the crowd from his brief stay with the Loki Familia. Although a certain blonde-haired stalker was the only one that he could really pick out specifically.

"Hey, hey! He's going to fight the captain!"

"No way, who's that guy?"

"Haven't we seen him around before?"

"Hah, who does he think he is? Challenging the _Braver_ to a match."

The crowd had begun to grow and along with them, all the extra chatter and noise. Minato never liked crowds to begin with, so being in the center of attention of one was not something that he particularly enjoyed. Finn on the other hand didn't even seem to notice the gathering crowd, and instead simply gave him a bemused smile before tossing a sword his way.

He caught the weapon by its hilt, deftly twirling it around until the edge faced the Pallum.

"You prefer to use swords right?" Finn asked, twirling around his own spear, "How's the feel on that one? I tried to pick one out that was similar in size to the one you were using before."

While the sword in his hand was definitely of a high quality, it wasn't _Aroundight;_ that was for sure. But then again, _Aroundight_ had been a reward from Elizabeth for completing one of her requests, so it probably wasn't fair to compare it to a normal sword. It was a pity that _Aroundight_ had been broken in the battle against the dragon in the dungeon.

Elizabeth would've probably been sad to hear about that.

"I'll make do with it."

"If you say so." Finn replied with a shrug, "So, as for the rules of the spar. It's until first blood or someone yields, agreed?"

He simply nodded in response.

"Oh, and feel free to use magic if you want, although do keep in mind that we have a bit of an audience now." Finn said as he brought his spear up into a combat stance, "You can come at me whenever you wish."

Minato didn't move from his spot; and instead, watched Finn curiously. At first glance, the Pallum's stance was quite relaxed for a combat stance, but upon further inspection, he could tell that Finn did not leave any openings for him to exploit. Since Finn was the captain of the Loki Familia, it wouldn't be too far off to expect that the pint-sized individual was a lot stronger than his diminutive size would've suggested.

It didn't come as too much of a surprise to him that Finn had opted to using a spear. With how small the Pallum was, he would need a weapon that could extend his range in combat. A spear was the perfect weapon for that. While spears were good at keep enemies at bay, their weaknesses showed quite clearly when one managed to get into the teeth of a spear wielder. He was quite familiar with fighting against spear users, having helped with training Ken in the past.

And then, without a word, Minato lunged forward.

As he had expected, Finn responded with a thrust of his spear as soon as he had stepped into the Pallum's range. Sidestepping out of the way, he planted one foot down deep into the grass and pushed off. As he was about to thrust his sword forward, he felt a sudden chill run up his spine before he ducked just in time as the back-end shaft of Finn's spear flew overhead. He rolled forward into the ground before jumping away from the Pallum, creating some distance.

"Oh? You've got some good instincts there Arisato-san."

Another attack from behind, right as he dodged the first one? He probably should've expected someone of Finn's stature to display a good amount of nimbleness. That was usually how battles went after all, the smaller the opponent, the quicker they were. A miscalculation on his part for not accounting for the Pallum's nimble nature.

He wouldn't have the time to plan out his next moves as Finn rushed forward with a variety of thrusts from his spear. Counterattacking was out of the question, as Finn never allowed him to step within range again with a constant barrage of thrusts. Although even if the Pallum had messed up and allowed him to close the gap, it took everything out of him to simply evade the ferocity of Finn's attacks.

"You're not going to use your magic?"

The fact that Finn felt comfortable enough to speak while in the middle of heated combat spoke volumes about the difference in skill that he was now growing all the more aware of. It was becoming quite clear to him now that in a one-on-one duel, Finn outclassed him quite easily. Minato wasn't the type to give up though, that simply wasn't in his nature.

Dodging another thrust that almost clipped him in the cheek, he jumped backwards in order to create some more space. Naturally, Finn moved forward in retaliation in order to press the assault. At the rate the battle was going, he was never going to be able to get within range for a counterattack unless Finn allowed him too.

And sooner or later, Finn's spear was going to hit its mark.

He could only think of one way to get through Finn's guard and get into range for a counterattack. He jumped backwards once again, and as expected, Finn followed suit by moving forward as well. As Finn began to move back into range for another spear thrust, he threw his sword at the Pallum. As stupid as the idea was, it did its job in catching the Pallum off guard and forced him to stop his attack in order to knock the sword out of the way.

In that small window of time, he charged into the Pallum and grabbed at the shorter man's spear. Gripping onto the spear as tightly as possible, he tried to push Finn back. Gritting his teeth, he pushed as hard as he could in an effort to the force the Pallum flat onto his back. While Finn might've had the advantage in speed, now that he had the Pallum in a position where speed wasn't a factor, he—

 _Thud._

… What?

Within a blink of the eye, he very suddenly found himself staring up into the sky where a good number of clouds and an almost too bright sun stared back. When the prickly sensation of grass could be felt along his ears and the backside of his head, he realized that _he_ was the one lying flat on the ground as Finn held the pointed tip of the spear against his neck.

It seemed that he had lost.

"… I yield."

"That was a good idea Arisato-san." The Pallum earnestly said, before lifting the spear away from his neck, "You're good at thinking on your feet and that'll server you well in the dungeon, but you didn't account for the possibility that I was physically stronger than you."

He blinked as Finn held a hand out towards him.

He blinked once again before he narrowed his eyes and grabbed Finn's hand. The Pallum pulled him to his feet as easily as he had dropped him to the ground a moment ago. How was it possible that someone with such a small frame had that much power? Speed he could understand, given how little Finn probably weighed, but strength?

He supposed _that_ was the power of a Falna.

"You did really well though," Finn complimented, before pulling him close enough for a whisper, "It's hard to believe that you don't even have a Falna."

"Is your adventurer's spirit satisfied now?" He dryly asked.

Finn gave an amused smirk.

"On the contrary, it's even more curious than before. I'll leave you alone for now though. Come on, let's head back to my office, we'll talk more there, away from the crowd."

He was thankful to the Pallum for that, not wanting to be standing in the middle of the crowd for any longer. As he trailed after the Familia captain, he could see the various facial expressions coming from the crowd of people. Some were surprised, others impressed, and a tanned skin woman that was not shy about wearing an outfit that exposed certain _assets,_ leveled a glare at him with enough ferocity that he couldn't help but wonder what he did to warrant such a look.

It was a good thing that he wasn't staying around to find out.

Compared to before, he could feel a good deal of extra eyes on him now as he followed behind the Familia captain, no doubt curious people from the crowd that had gathered around earlier to watch the match. Finn seemed to pay no mind to the stares, it seemed as the Pallum was used to the attention. That probably shouldn't have surprised him, given that Finn was the captain of one of the most powerful Familias in the city.

The attention that they were receiving now was probably nothing compared to what Finn was used to on a daily basis.

When they had made it back to Finn's office, Minato was surprised to see another familiar face. There, sitting perched neatly on top of Finn's desk was the Goddess Loki herself. The Goddess wore an all too friendly smirk on her face as she put down the scroll that was in her hands and gingerly hopped off the table.

"You're back already Loki-sama?" Finn asked, a curious expression on his face, "I thought that the banquet doesn't end until tomorrow."

"It doesn't, but I got bored." Loki casually replied, "Ganesha's antics are funny at first, but they get repetitive after a while."

Loki twirled her hands behind her back as she grinned.

"You know, I had a feeling that I should've come back early." Loki mused, before clearing her throat – her grin widening. " _Well_ , Arisato-kun. Any particular reason for your visit?"

He was pretty sure that the Goddess knew exactly why he was here, but he'd humor her little charade.

"I would like to join the Loki Familia."

The smug grin on her face _almost_ made him wish that he hadn't.

* * *

If he were to be honest, Minato had expected an act like receiving the blessing of a goddess to require some kind of religious ritual of some sort. Probably in a room of some scared area like a temple or a church along with a lot of prayer. Instead, he was simply lying shirtless on his stomach in Loki's room on top of her bed.

It was rather anti-climactic to say the least.

"You ready, Arisato-kun?" Loki casually asked as she twirled a knife around her hand.

"Yes."

The goddess simply gave a brief nod before she walked over towards the bed. The creaking of the bed-frame signaled that Loki had begun, and just like before, he could feel the familiar wet sensation of blood being traced across his back. It wasn't as unnerving as the first time, but he could still feel that cold tingle zip across his spine like an electric current.

It took a conscious effort to stop his muscles from going rigid in response.

As the minutes continued to pass by, he began to wonder just exactly how long this process was going to take.

"Well. This is awkward." Loki impassively stated, "Can't say I've had this happen to me before, but then again… You are a bit of a strange case."

He blinked at that, before slowly getting up.

"What do you mean?"

"Your body rejected my blessing," Loki replied with a shrug, "Can't say I know why, but I probably shouldn't be surprised about it, considering that you're from another world and all."

He blinked again, before his eyes widened in realization.

"… How did you know?"

Loki smirked.

"You can't lie to a God Arisato-kun, or in your case, hide the truth," She grinned, amusement evident in her eyes, "That part wasn't too hard to figure out anyway, once I put together some of the missing pieces of the puzzle."

"Are people like me…" He paused, as he thought about how to phrase the question, "… From other worlds… Has something like this happened before?"

"I can't say that it has, at least not to my knowledge." The goddess replied, brushing a couple of fingers over her chin thoughtfully, "I _can_ say that it's definitely possible though, with a powerful enough god's Arcanum."

He furrowed his brow at the unfamiliar term.

"Arcanum?"

"Ah, it's the term we use to refer to our powers as. We aren't allowed to use our powers in the lower world, unless you wanted a one-way trip back to heaven that is." Loki nonchalantly explained, as if discussing the weather, "Don't bother asking me if I know who dragged you here though. I already asked around at the banquet if any gods had been sent back recently, and there haven't been any."

He frowned as his mind tried to digest all of the new information.

He had always thought that the reasoning as to why he had been sent here had rested on _his_ side of the world. It had never really occurred to him that someone on _this_ side could've been the one responsible for his new world-hopping adventure. The only question he had now was, why?

He glanced over at Loki, who was staring at him with a bemused expression on her face.

"Is it possible for a god to send me back then?" He eventually asked.

Loki snorted.

"Yeah, but good luck with trying to find someone that would willingly sign themselves a one-way trip back to heaven just to help a stranger out."

She was right about that.

"… What would it take for a god to agree to that then?"

Loki regarded him with an unreadable expression on her face.

"Who knows? Everyone's different." She eventually replied, "But, I'll tell you what. I'll make you a deal Arisato-kun." Loki grinned, flashing her teeth, "Clear the dungeon under my banner and I'll send you back myself."

Clear… The dungeon?

Clearing the dungeon was all that it took to return home?

That… He couldn't help but feel a bit happy about that. He had begun to lose hope in finding _any_ way back home. He knew that clearing the dungeon wasn't an easy task by any means, but it gave him an answer to the question that had been hounding him for the last couple of days. And while it might not have been an easy task, it was a _possible_ one.

That was all he needed to reignite the hope within him.

A possibility.

But… There was still one problem.

"How would I clear the dungeon if I'm not allowed entry without a Falna?"

Loki's grin grew wider.

"Well, that's easy Arisato-kun. I'll just give you one."

He frowned.

"I thought you couldn't."

"Yeah, I can't. Not a real one anyway." She amended, the amusement still evident in her eyes, "But it's not like you actually need a Falna. If you could hold your own against Finn-kun, then you can hold your own against just about everybody."

He wouldn't say _that_ , for it was quite apparent to him that Finn hadn't been taking him seriously. The Pallum had him beat quite soundly, at least when it came to a one-on-one duel without his Personas. The outcome of the match would've probably been a different story had he chosen to rely on them though.

 _Probably_.

"I'll take care of the details and get you properly instated into my Familia with the Guild," Loki said as she held out her hand, "So, have we got ourselves a deal, Arisato-kun?"

He stared at the outstretched hand of the goddess in front of him.

Most people would've probably called him a fool were he to make a deal with a God that had the reputation of Loki's. But this wasn't his world, and this Loki wasn't the same Loki in the myths from his world. She might've been out for her own gain, but wasn't he the same way? He wanted a way back home and she wanted to strengthen her Familia.

"Well?" Loki asked, her hand still waiting, "What's the matter?"

It's just…" He paused to consider his words. "You're being awfully reasonable about this whole other world business."

"Of course, I'm a Goddess Arisato-kun." She deadpanned, "You don't think I've seen stranger things before?"

He supposed that she had a point about that.

"... It's a deal then."

He clasped the hand in front of him in a firm grip.

Loki only smirked in response.

* * *

Finn Deimne took a sip from his drink.

The last two days had passed by in a bit of a blur, mostly due to the massive amount of paperwork that he had been slumped with recently. All of the commotion from the news that the Loki Familia had recently added a new level five adventurer into their ranks left him with little time to do much else. Taking care of guild documents, letters from other Familias, and a whole bunch of other nonsense that fell under his responsibility as the Familia captain proved to be a more difficult task to overcome than a floor boss did.

Finn took a glance over towards his right to see that his goddess seemed to be faring no better.

"Ugh… Can we take a break Finn-kun?" Loki groaned, throwing her face into the desk, "I'm totally bored out of mind."

"The paperwork would only pile up then," Finn reprimanded while signing another document, "We need to get everything finished before the monster carnival."

"Can't you get Riveria to help you instead?"

"She already helped out yesterday," He calmly replied as he dipped his quill into his ink-pot, "And she's training with Lefiya right now anyway."

Loki flinched backwards.

"W-what about Gareth then?"

"He's busy taking care of our weapon logistics with the blacksmiths," He answered while stamping a letter, "You know that paperwork isn't Gareth's forte anyway."

"B-but, but…" Loki whimpered, "NOOO! I don't wanna do anymore paperwork!" She cried as she started flailing, kicking out her legs from underneath the desk all the while.

Finn sighed.

"You knew it was coming when you registered him as a level _five_ with the Guild."

"Yeah, but I didn't think it would be _this_ bad." Loki grumbled, "I thought that you would be able to take care of it."

"I would've handled it myself, but we're in a bit of time crunch with the monster carnival coming up," He gave her an apologetic smile, "It probably wasn't the best time to spring something like this on the Guild."

Loki simply sighed as well, before returning to her own pile of paperwork.

Finn had expected the paperwork to be bad when Loki had made her move with the Guild. First-class adventurers weren't exactly common, so when one suddenly popped up out of the blue, within the Loki Familia no less, there was going to be pandemonium. Finn knew that Minato Arisato was not able to receive Loki's blessing for one unexplainable reason or another. But, the boy was strong enough in his own right, that he wouldn't even need a Falna to survive in the dungeon.

When Loki had asked him what level would he have gauged Minato Arisato's strength to be at, he wasn't sure what her intent was. When she had shown him the paperwork along with the cover story that she had fabricated, he understood. Loki wanted everyone to believe that Minato Arisato was simply another adventurer. One who's old God had simply agreed to a conversion into the Loki Familia.

An eccentric old God that kept to himself in the mountains to the great north.

"I'm curious Loki-sama." Finn began, putting down his quill, "How did you get Janus-sama to agree to play along with your ploy?"

"That old coot owes me from a bet a while back." Loki casually explained as she toyed with her chair, "I figured that it was a good a time as any to cash out on that bet."

Finn simply nodded.

"I've heard that Janus-sama can be a bit…"

"Crazy?" She interrupted, "Yeah, the old coots short a few marbles. He's damn good at poker though. If Ouranos actually does bother to send somebody way out there to check, Janus will match the alibi I gave him." Loki smirked, "Nobody will suspect a thing~"

Finn only hummed as he went through another Guild document.

"So, how did you decide on the numbers on his Status Loki-sama?"

"Eh, I threw some dice against the wall and picked out some random number combinations."

Finn nearly choked on his own spit.

"What?" Loki asked with a shrug, "It's not like it matters Finn-kun. It's not as if anyone's going to see his non-existent Falna."

"Still though… Dice?"

She simply shrugged once more.

"Eh, it doesn't really matter. You're the one that said he's probably around a level five in terms of combat power anyway, so as long as he's seen as a level five by the Guild, the actual numbers won't really matter."

"I suppose that you're right about that…" Finn forced a smile, "It won't really hold up against any scrutiny though."

"It won't." Loki agreed, "But if anyone wants to test me," She flashed a dangerous grin, "Then they're welcome to come and try."

Finn only nodded in response as he returned to his paperwork.

There wasn't much of a point in speaking on the matter any further. When Loki had made up her mind, nobody was going to change her decision. That was how she had always led, and to her credit, it produced results. The Loki Familia was one of the strongest Familias in Orario for good reason.

"Hey Finn-kun, so how do you feel about our newest member so far?"

Finn stopped writing as he thought about the question.

"He reminds me of Ais," He eventually settled on, "Of when Ais first started as an adventurer."

Loki let out a low hum.

"Yeah, I can see that." She agreed with a nod, "As soon as I got him registered, he took off straight into the dungeon. Geez, now that I think about it, he hasn't done anything else at all other than eat, sleep, and running back into the dungeon." Loki scratched the back of her head, "He's just as obsessed about the dungeon as Ais."

Finn only gave a small smile.

"Yes, but he has his reasons though, Loki-sama."

"Still, it's not healthy…" Loki trailed off, a thoughtful look in her eyes. "You know what, I'm going to make him go to the monster carnival with me. I'll take Ais with me too, before she dives back into the dungeon headfirst again."

"Yes well… We still have to finish up the paperwork first."

Loki's face fell.

"Ugh…"

* * *

 **Author's Notes-** It's good to see some familiar names stop by to drop a review. I'm glad to see that some old readers are still here, as well as some new ones. There might be some mistakes here, but I wanted to get this chapter out before midnight, since I have work tomorrow. Just let me know if there are any errors I need to correct and I'll get to it when I have some time on the weekend. Enjoy.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5-**

 **Pierrot and the Fool**

* * *

Traversing through the dungeon was a lot different compared to Tartarus.

In Tartarus, time did not pass like normal. During the Dark Hour, that single hour could feel like an eternity. Within Tartarus, the 25th hour and it's the clocks would always stay firmly locked into place, at least until they left the confines of the tower. Hunger and thirst were not an issue during the Dark Hour; the only thing that stopped someone from continuing their climb to the top of the tower was simply their mental fortitude.

It was only a question of how long somebody could last, before the mental strain broke them.

In the dungeon, time passed as it normally would. An hour spent inside the dungeon meant an hour of time had passed in the outside world. A few more hours and the thirst would begin to set in, and then came the hunger pangs. And as more time passed, the physical fatigue would begin to eat away at one's energy and the weariness would start to slowly creep in. All of these human limitations made traversing through the dungeon's floors take a good deal longer than it would've take in Tartarus.

Eighteen floors, towards the safe zone that housed the adventurer town of Rivira.

That was the most Minato had managed to accomplish thus far, within one lion-drive without stopping for rest. The floors in the dungeon were without a doubt, much larger than the floors on Tartarus. Even clearing through one single floor in the dungeon, due to its sheer size and never ending waves of monsters, took a good deal longer than it did when compared to its Dark Hour counterpart.

Then there was also the fact that time needed to be taken to harvest the monster crystals from the corpses.

The monsters in the early floors of the dungeon were weak enough where he could cut through most of them without having to rely on his spells or Personas. The ones that proved tenacious enough to not fall to his blade were then given a swift death from his magic. The cheap short-sword that he had purchased from Goibniu's store served him well enough in that regard. In spite of all of the monsters that had been slain with it, and all of the dried blood that was now stuck to its edge, the sword was still serviceable; definitely a weapon that was worth the money.

As he finally made his way towards the end of the 18th floor, the adventurer town of Rivira was finally within in sight. After the long walk, he couldn't help but wish for there to be an easier way to move around the dungeon. Tartarus at the very least had teleporters that allowed for easier access to the later floors, once someone had gone through the trouble of activating them anyway.

He supposed that at the very least, all of the cardiovascular activity helped improve his stamina if anything.

As he made his way into the town, a couple of curious eyes looked towards his direction for a brief moment before returning to their activities. Minato had never been to the town before, but it was common knowledge for adventurers that the 18th floor was a safe zone that was home to the adventurer town of Rivira. During the first few days, he had mainly stuck to the entry-level floors of the dungeon, spending his time getting familiar with the monsters and the layout of the area.

It was not until today that he had decided to set forth deeper into the dungeon.

While the sword at his hip was still serviceable in spite of the beating it had been given, at the pace he was going, it was not going to last for much longer. He would need a weapon of much higher quality in the near future, and he had seen the prices of higher-class weapons in the stores throughout the city. They could cost over millions quite easily, so money definitely seemed like it would be a continuous problem.

Money was just as much of a necessity in this world as it was in his own.

When he stepped down the stairs into the only bar in Rivira, he saw a good number of eyes briefly dart towards his direction before returning back to whatever they had been doing, evidently having decided that he wasn't a threat. The _'Golden Cellar Bar'_ wasn't much to look at, but then again, most of the town had been in shambles to begin with, so he shouldn't have been too surprised.

Minato found himself a cozy seat in the corner of the room and ordered a simple bowl of soup. He wasn't expecting much in terms of taste, but at this point, he simply needed something to quell the growling in his stomach. When his soup had finally arrived, it came in a modest bowl that had definitely seen better days. At the very least, the meal was warm, even if it didn't look the most appetizing thing in the world.

"Eh? Arisato-kun?"

He glanced up from his soup towards the source of an overly familiar voice and was greeted with the sight of a dark-haired, tanned skin girl giving him a wave as she walked over towards his table. A happy-go-lucky smile was on her face as a large broadsword hung behind her back, bouncing all the way as she slowly skipped to a halt.

"Hey, it is you! You remember me, right?"

He quickly racked through his brain as he tried to match a name with the familiar face in front of him.

"… Tiona Hiryute?"

"Yep!" The girl happily nodded, "You remembered!"

Minato had been introduced to most of the Loki Familia earlier in the week, though he hadn't spoken to many of them, since he had spent most of his time exploring the dungeon. He believed that Tiona Hiryute and her sister had been a part of the group that had found him on the 51st floor, if what Finn had told him was true. And judging from her rather _loud_ greeting, she was the more enthusiastic one out of the two amazon sisters.

"So, you've been heading into the dungeon all this time?" Tiona curiously asked, as she took a seat at his table, "I've been wondering where you've been, I don't think I've seen you around at all."

He simply shrugged before he went back to drinking his soup.

"Hey, so what do you think of the dungeon so far?" The girl asked as she put her elbows on the table. "It's not the same as fighting on the surface, is it?"

He finished what remained of his soup before putting the spoon down.

Other than Loki, and whoever had been in the room at the time when he had explained his rather unique _circumstances_ , nobody else knew about his actual background. Everyone else in the Familia had been given the same spiel that Loki had given the guild; the fake backstory that she had created for him was a clever ploy to maintain a low-profile. Well, aside from the fact that the goddess had decided to register him as a level _five_ , of all things. But, he supposed that it was a necessary evil, since it wouldn't exactly be normal for a low level 'adventurer' to be delving into the depths of the dungeon as he had been lately.

"You're right," He eventually dryly replied, "The air is a lot staler than what I am used to."

Tiona Hiryute let out a small chuckle.

"We _are_ deep underground Arisato-kun."

He supposed that she made a fair point.

"So, how deep have you've gotten so far?" Tiona questioned as she drummed her fingers along the wooden table in a catchy rhythm.

"… You ask a lot of questions."

She pouted in response.

"Hey! I wouldn't be if you were actually around to begin with. You're the newest member of our Familia and nobody even knows a single thing about you!" Tiona crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "Now that I think about it, I don't think I've seen you hold a single conversation with anyone other than Loki-sama yet!"

He couldn't deny that, so he didn't.

Minato _had_ spent most of his time venturing into the dungeon after all. He simply didn't have the time or the energy to bother with socializing with the other members of _his_ Familia. He had a clear goal in mind, and would not stop working towards that goal until he reached it, or died trying. In a way, the Loki Familia were simply coworkers of his, he would respect them and do his part, but there wasn't much of a point in getting overly familiar with them.

Not when he was going to leave in the end anyway.

"This is the deepest that I've gone." He eventually replied, when it became apparent that the girl wasn't going to leave him alone. "I've been spending my time getting familiar with the early floors."

"Hmm…" The girl mused, "Say, are you planning to go any deeper today then?"

He slowly gave a nod in response, unsure of what the girl was planning.

"Great! I need to head down to the 20th floor as well, so let's make a party together!" She grinned, "I want to see what our newest member can do anyway."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Why do you need to go to the 20th floor?"

"I need to finish a quest so I can get my Urga fixed." She casually explained, pulling out a crumpled piece of paper from her pocket. "See, the only thing left that I need is a rare monster drop on the 20th floor." She pointed at a name on the list.

"Your… Urga?"

"Yep!" She happily nodded, before her eyes lit up in realization. "Oh, wait. You haven't seen my Urga yet, huh?

He slowly shook his head at that.

"Right… It did kinda get destroyed back when we found you on the 51st floor." She said, before pulling out her broadsword from behind her back, easily holding it up with one hand. "This kind of looks like Urga, but not really…? She trailed off, before grinning once again, "Oh, I know! I'll show you Urga once I get her all fixed up at Goibniu's shop!"

"Alright then…?" He hesitantly replied, "So, I'm going to assume that Urga is a sword…?"

"You'll find out once she's all fixed up." Tiona winked. "Alright, that's enough resting for now." She said as she jumped to her feet, "Let's get going already!"

If he remembered correctly, he had never said that he agreed to form a party with her. Although, with the way that the shorter girl had all but grabbed him along by the collar of his shirt, it seemed that he didn't have much of a choice in the matter…

He never was good when it came to dealing with her type…

* * *

As Tiona Hiryute seemingly all but skipped ahead of him, the large broadsword tied to her back bouncing up and down all the while, he couldn't help but think that she did not match the image that most people would have expected when it came to first-class adventurers. Of course, that quickly changed when she waved her broadsword around about as easily as one would've waved a twig in the air. Tiona Hiryute might've just appeared to look like a harmless little girl, but when she kicked a Minotaur three times her size into a nearby wall, that illusion quickly shattered.

For such a small person to possess such monstrous strength, it was almost cartoonish.

It was becoming quite obvious to him that the monsters that resided in these floors were little more than cannon-fodder for her and the destruction that she left behind in her wake. She bulldozed through everything in her path with a happy-go-lucky smile on her face, as if she were playing a game rather than fighting against monsters that had no other desire other than to end her life. Eventually, even the monsters themselves began realize that their efforts were futile. A good deal of them wisely chose to run away rather than continue trying to attack the apex predator that was in the form of a little girl rampaging through their home.

Even so, those that did choose to run away did not manage to make it very far before they were struck in the back with streaking bolts of electricity.

"That's the first time I've seen no chant magic up close," Tiona whistled as she hefted her broadsword over her shoulder, "I bet Lefiya-chan would be impressed."

He simply let out a hum in response at the familiar name.

If he recalled correctly, Lefiya was the elf that always seemed to follow Riveria around. According to Finn, she had also been the one to heal his injuries when they had found him. As he kneeled down next to the mangled corpse of a Bugbear, he made a mental note that he still needed to thank her for that.

Pulling out a small dagger by his side, he cut into the body and began to dig around for the monster crystal inside.

It took him a while to get used to the feeling of digging through corpses for monster crystals. Shadows didn't leave behind bodies so, the act of harvesting crystals in itself was something new for him. In the beginning, he was quite slow at it, but over time and with some more practice, the task itself became little more than second-nature for him.

Tiona didn't even bother with harvesting the monster crystals, simply stating that the drops on these floors weren't worth the effort spent in digging them out without the help of a supporter. He was fine with that; it simply meant that there would be more crystals for him, and in turn, more Valis. It didn't take him too long to gather up most of the monster crystals anyway, and soon enough, he found himself with a pouch almost half-full with the valuable trading commodity.

Getting from the 18th floor to the 20th floor was pretty simple in itself, although most of that could be attributed to the one-man wrecking crew that happily skipped by his side. The layout of the floors themselves had long since switched from being dry underground caverns to a fully-fledged forest biome. If it were not for the enclosed ceiling above him, Minato would've thought he was in some random jungle on the surface rather than deep underground in the dungeon.

A loud buzzing soon caught his attention and a swarm of hornets flew his way. Judging from their large size and coloring, he believed that they were known as _Deadly Hornets_. Tiona dashed forward with her broadsword and batted them out of the air, as if she were simply using a fly swatter against a couple of fruit flies rather than fighting a swarm of killer hornets. The ones that were quick enough to dodge out of the way soon reformed their formation and began to dive straight at her with their stingers poised to strike.

 _Maragi._

A pillar of flame erupted from the ground and engulfed the remaining hornets before they had a chance to attack. Their wings were the first to catch fire, burning away until nothing but ash and dust were left in its place. The rest of their bodies soon fell to the ground in a flaming heap as the fire continued to eat away at them, leaving behind only burned husks in its wake.

Although when the smell of sulfur and death reached his nostrils, he instantly regretted choosing to use a fire spell.

"Ah, lucky~" Tiona happily hummed as she casually dug through a monster's corpse, "I found the drop I was looking for. Quest complete!"

Judging from how the lithe amazon seemed to be so unaffected from digging through burnt corpses, the smell probably wasn't much of an issue for her. Either that, or she had simply gotten used to it, and he wasn't quite sure what to feel about that if that were the case. He simply left the charred ones to the amazon as he went to work harvesting the monsters crystals from the hornets that Tiona had brought down.

"You know, I was expecting this take a lot longer." The amazon mused as she twirled her sword in one hand. "Maybe we should do more quests together if you're this lucky when it comes to rare drops!" She grinned.

He simply shrugged.

"I don't mind."

And he really didn't, since exploring the dungeon with someone as strong as Tiona Hiryute saved a lot of time when it came to clearing through multiple floors at once. Having someone else help with the never ending swarm of monsters allowed him to save a good deal of extra energy as well. It was also nice to have someone watch his back, even if it did feel a bit strange.

After all, he had grown used to having Aigis fill that role.

"Hey, so are you going to keep exploring?" Tiona asked, as she stretched her arms over her head. "I'm going to head back to the surface and turn in this quest, if you want to come with."

Minato reached into his pocket and pulled out a simple pocket watch that he had recently purchased. It was getting quite late, and he hadn't brought the right supplies with him to stay the night inside of the dungeon. He supposed that there wasn't much of a point anyway, since his pouch was already brimming with monster crystals.

"I'll go back with you, Hiryute-san."

The amazon made a face.

"Eck… 'Hiryute-san' sounds so stiff. Just call me Tiona, alright?" She smiled. "And I'll call you… Blue-kun!"

"A nickname?" He dryly asked.

"Yep! In honor of our new budding friendship!" The girl cheered, baring her hands in the air. "Hooray!"

Minato wasn't quite sure exactly how to respond to that show of exuberance, so he didn't even try. Instead, he simply stuffed his hands into his pockets and walked ahead.

Perhaps her monstrous strength was relative to the levels of optimism she exuded.

That would explain a lot of things.

"Ah! Hey, wait for me Blue-kun!" Tiona called out as she ran up to him with a small pout on her face. "Trying to act all cold and mysterious doesn't make you look cool you know."

Minato simply let out a sigh.

* * *

When he finally made it back to the Twilight Manor, his pouch jingled by his side the entire way. The monster crystals that he had farmed up earlier were all but gone, having been replaced with a nice sack of Valis, courtesy of the Guild exchange. Tiona had decided to stop by the Hostess of Fertility before returning home, so they soon went their separate ways, much to the displeasure of the amazon. She had tried to talk him into going with her, but he had adamantly refused.

It wasn't as if he disliked the girl, her seemingly boundless amount of energy simply wore him out.

Minato enjoyed having friends and being in SEES, but he was still an introvert by nature. There were times where he simply preferred to be alone rather than have company, even if that company was in good conscious. Companionship was good, but just like being alone, too much of one or the other was distinctly _not good_.

Having a good balance was best after all.

As he walked up one of the Twilight Manor's many cascades of stairs, he returned the greetings from his fellow Familia members with a simple nod of his head. When he finally made it to his room, he pulled open the door and soon found himself staring at a certain red-haired goddess sitting on top of his desk.

"Yo~" Loki saluted while smirking, "Took ya long enough Minato-kun."

Minato then did what any other sensible person would've done in his situation. He slammed the door shut, promptly spun around in a one-eighty, and walked away. He had come to learn during their short time together that whenever Loki made that face, it would only lead to a troublesome situation, in one way or another.

It was something that he had no interest in taking part of.

"Minato-kuuuunnn!" Loki cried out as she barged out of the room, crocodile tears and all. "How could you just close the door on me like that?!"

He had to stop himself from nearly falling down the stairs when Loki had all but _tackled_ him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Waaaaaaa, you're so mean Minato-kun!"

He could already _feel_ a headache beginning to come on.

"You don't even want to hear out your poor little Goddess!"

The yelling only made it _worse_.

With a sigh, he pulled Loki's arms off his waist and turned around to face the _would-be_ Goddess. The last thing that he wanted to do was to cause a scene, and with Loki's yelling, people were bound to come sooner or later. He'd been doing his best as of late to maintain a low-profile, keeping his interactions with the others at a bare minimum, and that was a status quo that he wanted to _keep_.

He'd rather just bite the bullet than have to deal with _that_ crowd again.

"… What do you want?"

Loki simply grinned.

"I want you to come to the monster carnival with me."

He blinked.

"Why…?"

"Because it'll be fun!"

Minato narrowed his eyes.

"What?" Loki smirked, "I'm being serious here Minato-kun. Come on and take a day off from the dungeon with me~"

He wanted to refuse, but he knew that if he did, Loki would just keep pestering him until he finally cracked. Loki was as tenacious as they came, and when she wanted something, she wouldn't let up until she got what she wanted. Although if she really _did_ need him to do something, it wasn't as if she didn't have the leverage to get him to comply; so he could at least appreciate the fact that she had given him a choice in the matter.

A semblance of a choice anyway.

"… Fine." He eventually relented.

"Yay!" Loki cheered, before she leaped towards him once again.

Only this time, he stepped out of the way and simply watched with mild curiosity as Loki flew past him, before tumbling down the stairs in a heap. She ended up screaming the entire time as she rolled down the stairwell and crashed into a nearby wall with a loud groan. At times like these, Minato wasn't sure if Loki played up the comedy routine just to catch people off guard, or if she simply enjoyed playing the part of the jester.

"Ugh…" Loki groaned from the bottom of the stairwell, "You're so mean Minato-kun…"

Either way, he couldn't help but roll his eyes at her antics.

Were _all_ the gods like this?

* * *

Goibniu brought his hammer down onto his anvil in a practiced motion.

It was a simple movement that he had been doing for centuries on end. All of his life, he had brought his hammer down onto the anvil. And he would continue to do so, for all the rest of his immortal life. While all the other Gods played their little war games with their Familias, he spent his time in the forge.

He forged weapons. He forged armors. He didn't care about the dungeon or about expanding his Familia. The few members that _were_ in his Familia all shared a similar mindset. They were smiths and their lives were dedicated to the forge.

Goibniu was a god, he was an immortal, but before any of that, Goibniu was a blacksmith.

As he raised his hammer in the air once more, the ringing bell at his door gave him pause. He had not been expecting customers today. The monster carnival was today and most of the people living in the city attended the event. Most of the stores in the city were closed for the carnival, even that Hephaestus and her legion of workshops.

Goibniu put down his hammer and craned his neck in order to see who would come visit his store during the monster carnival. It was a familiar face, a blue-haired lad that had first stopped by his store a good week ago. He could still remember the event quite vividly, when the lad had approached one of his blacksmiths.

" _What is the cheapest sword that you have?"_

He was fresh blood.

A new adventurer in an occupation that did not treat rookies kindly. Goibniu wasn't expecting to see the lad again, much less so soon. He had assumed that the lad would've quit or died by now, like all of the other overconfident rookies that did not prepare for the dungeon properly. A fresh adventurer with no armor and nothing but a cheap short-sword did not usually stay in the adventuring business for long.

Goibniu couldn't help but be surprised when the lad walked towards the back of the room, where his personal forge was, and tossed a large pouch his way.

He caught it with ease and could feel the familiar weight of coin inside. How the lad had managed to go from being flat out broke to having a pouch that held a good ten million coin or more, in less than a week was beyond him. Most would've had questions, but that wasn't any of his business, he was a smith and if the lad had the coin, he would forge.

"What do you need made, lad?"

"A short-sword. One that won't easily break."

Goibniu gave a gruff nod.

The god was no stranger to swords. He had crafted thousands of swords, swords designed for the masses as well as swords specifically made to suit it's wielder. Goibniu took a good look at the lad's stature before deciding on what materials to use. He stood up and walked over towards his desk, where an old scraggly notebook laid.

"Tell me how you want this sword to be made," Goibniu grunted out, as he flipped open his notebook, "The more details you can give me, the more I can tailor the blade to suit your needs."

The lad seemed to give the idea some thought.

"I need a sword that won't melt when dipped in corrosive liquid," The lad simply replied, "The design doesn't matter; just make sure it's durable and light."

Goibniu simply jotted it down into his notebook. It wasn't his place to question _why_ the lad needed a weapon that wouldn't _melt_. Or _why_ the _Sword Princess_ had stopped by earlier with the same concerns. That Hephaestus might've questioned her customer's motives before agreeing to forge such a weapon, but he didn't care about any of that.

Goibniu was simply a blacksmith, and he would do what he had always done.

Goibniu would bring his hammer down onto his anvil.

* * *

Minato walked down the streets of Orario with a noticeably lighter leather pouch at his side. All of the money that he had been saving had been spent at Goibniu's store, but a week's worth of time was a small price to pay for a reliable weapon. He no longer had Aroundight after all, and relying on cheap swords would probably just get him killed sooner or later.

A good set of armor would come next, since his school uniform wasn't exactly usable anymore. In spite of the Kevlar that had been woven into it, courtesy of the Kirijo Corporation, the outfit was in little more than tatters now. The dragon and the caterpillars on the 51st floor had definitely done a number on the uniform, to say the least.

After a couple more minutes of walking, he eventually found himself standing in front of a simple café that Loki told him to meet her at. As he opened the door and stepped inside, he could immediately sense that something was very _wrong_. There was a familiar sense of magic in the air, one that eerily felt like the remnants of a _Marin Karin_ spell.

And judging from the charmed looks that every other customer in the café was leveling towards a hooded woman in the corner of the room, it wasn't hard to figure out who was the cause of it. It probably shouldn't have come as a surprise to him that Loki was also seated at the same table as the hooded woman. His blonde-haired stalker, Ais Wallenstein, was also present at the strange little meeting, standing guard next to Loki. The blonde had a surprised look on her face when she saw him.

He mumbled a _Makarakarn_ spell under his breath as he approached the table.

Minato had fallen victim to a charm spell in the past and had no wish for that to happen again. He could almost _still_ feel Yukari's hand imprint on his face from that whole fiasco at the hotel against the Lovers Arcana Shadow. It was an annoying, and honestly embarrassing situation that he had no intention of repeating.

"Ah, Minato-kun you made it!" Loki waved from her seat. "We got here a little early so we decided to head inside in the meantime. Oh, and this is Freya," Loki pointed out, "I just need to finish wrapping things up with her first."

He simply gave a curt nod to the hooded woman when their eyes met.

It was quite apparent to him that Freya was a Goddess, since she exuded the same divine aura about her that Loki did. Unlike Loki however, she had a beauty about her that would've made her stand out even without her divinity. Freya's eyes narrowed for the briefest moment and her shoulders stiffened, before her face returned to a neutral expression as she averted her eyes. He wasn't exactly sure what to make of the exchange, so he simply remained silent.

"So, _Loki_ … He's your newest member that's gotten everyone in an uproar?" Freya curtly asked, as she looked outside the window. "Why did you decide to bring him with you here… Along with the _Sword Princess_?"

Loki simply shrugged.

"Well you know; we're just here to have some fun together at the carnival. But anyway, enough beating around the bush. Let's just get to the point already." Loki's eyes narrowed as she leaned forward on the table and sneered. "What's up with your strange movements lately, _Freya_? Spit it out, you wouldn't want any _trouble_ between us, right?"

Freya simply gave a slight smile, her face never straying away from the window.

"There's a boy. One that had a color I've never seen before," She said as she began to twirl around one of her long locks of hair, "It was so beautiful and clear…"

"Of course it's a guy," Loki rolled her eyes, "I should've expected that. So, whose Familia is—"

Freya abruptly stood up.

"I'm sorry, but something urgent has come up," Freya briskly interrupted, "Let's meet again at a later time Loki."

Before Loki could question her any further, Freya had already left the table in a hurry. Minato couldn't help but notice that she had avoided looking at him the entire time, even going as far as clutching her hood closer to her face as she brushed passed him. Her behavior seemed quite strange, but he simply chalked it up as an odd quirk of hers, since nobody else had commented about it.

"… What was that about?" Loki asked, breaking the silence. "Well, whatever. I got what I came here for, so let's go have some fun now!"

Loki stood up and pumped her fist in the air.

"Yeah, let's go! Onwards!"

He couldn't help but sigh as Loki dragged him by the arm and marched forward. Ais Wallenstein seemed to have similar feelings as she was pulled along by their Goddesses' other hand. People stared, and he wasn't sure if it was because of how silly they must've looked, or if it was simply because Ais Wallenstein was the _Sword Princess_. He was pretty surprised to hear about her reputation as one of the strongest adventurers in the city.

It simply made him curious about why she would need to get even _stronger_ when she was _already_ so powerful.

"A barrier…?" Ais softly asked, as their eyes met. "A magic barrier?"

He simply shrugged in response, or at least attempted to, with Loki still dragging him by the arm.

"I'm not a fan of charm magic."

"It's not magic," Loki interrupted, "That's just how her sleazy divinity affects mortals. Oh hey, isn't that a Jagamarukun stand? You like those don't you, Ais-chan?"

Ais didn't answer and instead broke away from Loki's grip in a hurry, running straight towards the little food stall with a quickness that probably would've caught Finn by surprise.

"Ah! Wait Ais-chan!" Loki called out before she dashed after the blonde, "Wait for me Ais-channnn! I want Ais-chan to feed me Jagamarukunnnn!"

Minato simply watched as Loki chased after Ais and leaped at her. He couldn't help but flinch when Ais slapped the goddess hard enough into the ground to leave a dent on the dirt. That was a comedy routine that he had _no_ interest in being sucked into, so he simply stood off in the distance and watched. That goddess's shenanigans were worse than Junpei's.

Loki tried to wave him over, but he just sighed before looking towards the direction of the crowds.

A lot of people had gathered for the monster carnival. While he never did like crowds, they weren't too bad when he wasn't the center of attention. It was quite easy to simply blend into the environment when he wasn't the main focus after all. A familiar mess of white hair caught his eye in the crowd, and he soon found himself staring into the eyes of one Bell Cranel.

The boy gave a grin and a wave in response.

"Hey, Arisato-san!" Bell happily greeted as he squeezed past the crowds, "Are you here for the monster carnival?"

He simply gave a shrug in response.

"Something like that."

"Wow, really?" Bell asked with a raised eyebrow, "You don't seem like the type to go to events like these."

"I didn't have much of a choice," He dryly replied, "And you?"

"I was going to head into the dungeon actually, but a friend asked me help her out with something," Bell explained, "Oh yeah, have you seen a girl with grey-hair around here? Her name is Syr and I need to return her purse to her."

He shook his head at that.

"Sorry, I haven't seen anyone like that."

"Oh well, that's fine. I'm sure that she's around here somewhere." Bell grinned, not missing a beat. "How about you Arisato-san? Were you able to register with the Guild?"

He nodded in response.

"Oh, congrats on officially becoming an adventurer then!" Bell happily congratulated, "Whose Familia did you join?"

As he was about to answer, a loud shrill voice interrupted him.

"Heeeeeeeyyyyy Minato-kunnnnn!" Loki whined as she crashed into him and grabbed on in a vice-like grip. It took a good deal effort on his part to simply not fall over. "You're supposed to be having fun with _us_ , not other people! Come on Ais-chan, tell him!"

Ais Wallenstein only had a look in her eyes that screamed, ' _I deal with this every day'_. He simply let out a sigh in response as he attempted to pry Loki off his waist. The _Sword Princess_ seemed as if she were about to say something, before she locked eyes with Bell Cranel, who had been watching the whole exchange the entire time with wide eyes.

Minato couldn't help but wonder why Bell's face had become a bright red.

"It's you…" Ais murmured as she stared at the white-haired boy.

"… Eek…"

Minato raised an eyebrow.

"AHHHHHHH!" Bell suddenly screamed, before he all but _bolted_ away into the crowd with a speed that would've made an Olympic sprinter seethe with jealously.

Minato could only blink in response.

"He ran away again…" Ais eventually mumbled, a downtrodden expression on her normally stoic face. "Why…?"

"Again?" He found himself asking out of curiosity, "Would you care to elaborate?"

"I eviscerated a Minotaur in front of him." Ais simply replied, as if casually speaking about the weather. "He ran away afterwards…"

Minato found himself blinking once more in response.

"… Maybe he's afraid of you?"

Judging from the way the _Sword Princess_ hung her head low in response; that seemed to have been the wrong answer to give. He couldn't help but feel a bit responsible for the _sad_ aura that seemed to radiate from her body. In the short time he had known the girl, he had never seen her display as much emotion as she had done just now.

It made him feel a bit guilty about his words.

"… Do you want me to ask him?" He offered.

Ais slowly lifted her head and gave a slight nod.

"Hey now…" Loki slowly began; a grim look on her face. "D-don't tell me my cute little Ais-chan… Has a b-boy that she's interested in!?"

The red-haired goddess began to fervently shake her head.

"NOOOO! I won't have it!" Loki cried out as she jumped at the _Sword Princess_ with tears in her eyes. "I won't allow a boy to take my Ais-chan from meeeee!

Minato couldn't help but flinch when Ais sent the goddess flying into a nearby wall with a swift backhand. Whether or not the red-haired goddess simply enjoyed playing the fool, or if it was all just an act, he still wasn't sure. But at the very least, he had to give Loki credit for her tenacity.

It was a wonder how she hadn't been hospitalized yet.

* * *

Loki's definition of fun mostly involved walking around the city visiting different food stands before the monster carnival started. The _Sword Princess_ at the very least seemed to have gotten over the incident with Bell Cranel. All of the sweets that she had purchased from the various different food stands probably helped in that regard.

Minato wasn't sure what the history was between Bell Cranel and Ais Wallenstein, but he had a feeling that it was more than likely just a misunderstanding on somebody's part. After all, the Sword Princess wasn't exactly the most socially attuned individual out there, and that was saying something, coming from someone like himself.

"Hmm… Looks like its starting soon," Loki said, as she squinted into the distance, "Come on, I know a shortcut we can take so we won't be late."

Loki then squeezed past a crowd of people into an alleyway. He shared a brief look with Ais before simply shrugging and trailing after the red-haired goddess. The Sword Princess followed, not too far behind. When they finally made their way through the back-alley, Minato couldn't help but notice the sudden influx of armed adventurers moving about in a hurry.

"Huh…?" Loki mused, while she eyed her surroundings. "What's up with this atmosphere...?"

As they got closer to the colosseum that would hold the monster carnival, he could see that along with the armed adventurers, there were a good number of Guild employees outside directing traffic. People were being filed away from the colosseum and towards the direction of the Guild.

"Hey, you!" Loki called out, as she made her way towards one of the Guild receptionists, "Something going on here that I should know about?"

When the Guild receptionist turned around, he could see that it was a familiar face. It was the same half-elf that had stopped him from entering the dungeon his first time around. The long lecture that she had given him at the time _still_ remained fresh in his memory. If he recalled correctly, her name was Eina Tulle.

"Oh! Loki-sama!" Eina cried out in surprise. "The _Sword Princess_ as well... What perfect timing. Please, I implore for your assistance!" The half-elf earnestly requested as she lowered her head. "Some of the monsters that were captured for the monster carnival have escaped from their cages. The Ganesha Familia is trying their best to protect the civilians, but I'm afraid that it's not a situation that they can handle alone."

"Mmm… Well alright, I suppose that it'll be a good way to get some favor from Ganesha." Loki smirked, "Ais-chan, can you take of the monsters?"

Ais simply gave a curt nod before she jumped on top of a rooftop and dashed away.

Minato frowned when he realized that he hadn't brought his sword with him today. He didn't expect that he would've needed a weapon in the middle of a celebratory event like this, so he had simply left his sword in his room. At the very least, he always made sure to carry his Evoker with him, so he could rely on his Personas if things got rough enough.

As he was about to follow after the _Sword Princess_ , he felt a tug on the back of his coat.

"Let Ais-chan handle the monsters Minato-kun." Loki said before she let go, "I'm going to need you to help me with something else."

He was about to protest, but when he saw the dangerous smile on Loki's face, he held his tongue. The jester routine and the affable trickster were all but gone, and what now remained in their place was a god that reminded him more of the Loki from the legends that _he_ knew. There wasn't much of a point in arguing when she had made up her mind like that.

"Follow me Minato-kun." Loki ordered as she walked ahead, "I want to check something out and I'm going to need an escort, just in case things get too dicey."

Loki wandered off in a hurry while he tailed her from behind. He could see that the red-haired goddess was making her way towards the colosseum, brushing past the crowds that were being herded away from said building all the while. The entrance to the colosseum was one large archway that stretched on until it reached the central platform in the middle of the large structure.

Rows and rows of seats covered over most of the different sections inside, almost like a massive movie theater with the center floor being the screen.

They made their way onto the main hallway before Loki made a sharp turn, cutting into another entrance to the side that led to another small corridor. It was obvious that the red-haired goddess knew her way around the place. After a few more tight turns into a number of different corridors, Loki finally stopped in front of a simple wooden door.

When Loki opened the door and they stepped inside, he could see that it was the room in which the Ganesha Familia housed their captured monsters for the carnival. Two rows of cages were lined up on either side of the room from beginning to end. A couple of the cages on each side were open, no doubt belonging to the monsters that were now running amok in the city.

Although what really caught his eye were the bodies of what appeared to be the Ganesha Familia's adventurers lined up against the side of the wall.

"Out cold…" Loki muttered as she knelt down next to one of the adventurers. "And judging from the stupid look on his face…"

"Charm magic." He murmured, "The very same kind from the café…"

Loki chuckled.

"Now I wonder…" She mused, a devious smirk on her face. "Just what exactly is that idiotic ero-goddess planning now?"

Loki stood up and put her hands behind her head.

"Any ideas, Minato-kun?"

He gave the question some thought.

"Perhaps she wanted to create a diversion?"

"That's what I was thinking," Loki agreed, "But what's her goal? What's she trying to accomplish with all of this?"

Minato simply shrugged in response.

He didn't have enough information to form a conclusion. In his mind, the only logical thing that releasing monsters into the city could accomplish would be to cause a diversion. Of course, there were always those people out there that simply wanted chaos for the sake of chaos. Who was to truly say what an immortal goddess's motives were, other than herself?

Although, if there were one thing that he could say for certain, it was that charm magic _always_ lead to troublesome situations in one way or another.

* * *

 **Author's Notes-** Not much to say here, other than thanks for all the reviews. I realize that my writing doesn't exactly follow a set schedule when it comes to updates, so I appreciate everyone that's stuck around over the years.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6-**

 **Kaleidoscope**

* * *

A roar ripped through the air as Minato ran down the crowded street.

Making his way towards the source of the noise, he soon found his target in the form of a large green orc. A young couple brushed passed him as they ran away in fright. Strangely enough, the monster didn't seem too interested in chasing after the civilians. Rather, it simply stood in the middle of the street, taking glances in seemingly random directions while occasionally sniffing the air.

He wasn't exactly sure what to make of the monster's strange behavior, but he supposed that it didn't really matter either way. Digging into his pockets until his fingers curled around a familiar trigger, he pulled out his Evoker. The false pistol had seen better days, the SEES design on the gun's barrel was hardly visible anymore, a good portion of the letters having been melted off.

He'd have to get it repaired one day, for sentimental reasons if anything.

After all, even if the replica pistol was a little beat up, it still served its purpose as a catalyst just fine. Bringing the Evoker up towards the side of his head, he pulled down on the trigger, with that familiar sound of glass shattering and the adrenaline that always came along with the sudden rush of power.

Jack Frost was a strange little creature. Yukari had always said that Jack Frost was a cute little snowman, and he supposed that in way, it was. With its tiny pair of blue boots and the blue snowcap that was always snuggly fit over its head, Jack Frost could indeed be labeled as 'cute'. That didn't make the little harbinger of snow and frost any less deadly though.

 _Bufudyne._

Giant spikes of ice erupted from the ground, easily piercing through bits of the Orc's rough hide. A dense coat of frost soon followed, covering over the rest of the monster until the entirety of the beast was nothing more than one big frozen block of ice. After the unsettling experience of getting far too familiar with the scent of charred monster flesh, he had decided that he would stick with ice based spells for the moment.

It made things less of a mess that way.

Slipping the Evoker back into his pocket, Minato began to make his way down towards East Main. According to the information Loki had gathered, there were nine monsters that had been released from their cages roaming around the city, and three of those monsters had been seen making their way towards East Main. He trusted that the _Sword Princess_ could handle the ones in the other areas without much of an issue.

All he had to do now was to find the two other monsters in the area.

* * *

She couldn't help but watch with a giddiness in her heart that was more suited for a young schoolgirl rather than a Goddess like herself. The sight was simply _intoxicating_. His pure and precious soul, it shone with a light that was simply far brighter than any soul that she ever had the pleasure of laying her eyes upon. Like a moth drawn to a flame, she couldn't bear to even blink, much less look away.

Freya _loved_ him.

She had seen many souls throughout her time as a Goddess in the lower world. Their colors ranged from the most vibrant of reds to the coldest of greys. But never had she seen a soul with a beautiful clear hue like his, not even her dear Ottar could compare.

Freya simply watched as the white-haired boy struggled to fight against the monster that she had charmed into hunting Hestia. The boy, who was simply a rookie, a level-one novice that had only started his journey mere weeks ago struggling with all that he had to protect his Goddess. It hurt her to watch him struggle, to feel his fear as he took another beating from the beast that she had released.

But it was a pain that she would have to endure for now. Adventurers could not reach their true potential without adversity, and more than anything in the world, she wanted to see that pure soul of his shine as brightly as it possibly could before she took him for herself. So, even as painful as it was, she resigned herself to watching from the sidelines as he struggled along.

Bell Cranel's soul was one that simply shined with the most beautiful hue that she had ever seen.

It was a sight that she could simply stare at for hours on end. She continued to watch on as the white-haired boy was knocked off his feet, as his body became more and more battered. She watched as he stood up once again, with a fiery determination in his eyes, his soul burning even brighter in response.

It was simply captivating.

The boy held his dagger closely to his chest while the beast let out an ear-splitting roar and charged forward. _This_ was simply ecstasy, that brave look in his eyes in spite of the odds being stacked against him. That burning fire in his soul which only continued to blaze even brighter against the ugly face of adversity.

Yes, today her little hero would be—

Freya felt a sudden chill.

A cold wind ushered through the neighborhood. Ice and snow plastered over the street and buildings, covering over everything like a powdery white carpet. The beast that she had gone through the trouble of charming simply stood incased in a frozen tomb of frost. And Bell Cranel simply looked on in surprise, that delightful look in his eyes from mere moments before all but gone.

And then she saw _it_.

That _thing_ that Loki had decided to pick up. She watched as _it_ walked up to _her_ Bell and she had to clench her fists just to find the willpower to not look away in _disgust_. For while Bell Cranel's soul shone with a beautiful clear hue, that _thing's_ soul was simply darkness. It was a blackness that could not be described as a color, but rather as nothingness, just a void that lacked any of the unique traits that the souls of those in the lower-world possessed.

Freya had seen many a dark soul in her life, souls that moonlighted a darkness that few could stomach. Souls that belonged to the most wicked of mortals, and yet, even those souls were far easier on the eyes than that disgusting cesspool of a thing called a soul. It was like staring into a melting pot of colors, haphazardly thrown into a container far too small without a care in the world. Colors of all kinds that mixed and matched until all of the traits that made them unique in the first place were all but washed away, leaving behind nothing but a revolting black sea of souls.

That _thing_ was tainting Bell's pure soul with its sheer presence.

Not only did that _thing_ have the audacity to get close to her beautiful light, but _it_ had stomped over all of her plans in the process. Bell was supposed to be the one to defeat the beast that she had charmed, she had gone through with this entire charade for the sole reason of guiding that pure soul along so that it could eventually reach its full potential.

Freya could feel her fists clenching so hard that her nails were starting to dig into her porcelain skin, threatening to draw blood.

No.

No.

No!

NO!

 **NO!**

She could not allow that _thing_ to stain her pure light any longer. She didn't care if that _thing_ flew under Loki's banner. She didn't care if removing that _thing_ from this world would draw the wrath of Loki, or that Loki would not be happy. And while she considered Loki to be a friend, she simply couldn't stand the thought of that _thing_ being around her _light_ any longer.

 _It_ was a stain in this world that needed to be removed.

Even if her actions could lead to a war breaking out between her and Loki. Even if a war between their two Familias could threaten to destroy the entire city of Orario. Even if her precious Familia members could get hurt, could _die_ in the aftermath. She would sacrifice everything and again to protect that pure soul of hers.

"Don't worry Bell-kun, you'll be _mine_ soon." Freya all but whispered, a deep longing look in her eyes.

Freya would make sure that _nothing_ came between her and that pure soul.

She couldn't help but _shiver_ in ecstasy at the thought.

 _Yes_ , soon her little adventurer would be for _her_ eyes and _her_ eyes alone.

* * *

Bell Cranel let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding in.

It was over in an instant.

He wasn't sure whether the shudder that followed after was due to the cold or something else entirely. The Silverback that he had been fighting so desperately against, where it was simply a struggle to just stay alive, was now nothing more than a giant slab of ice. His blood red eyes met the creature's own, now frozen crimson colored pupils.

A single question nagged away at the back of his mind.

 _Could he have won by himself?_

"Are you alright, Cranel-san?"

The voice of his savior _this_ time was a familiar one. Minato Arisato wore the same blank expression that he was so used to seeing. It reminded him of the same look that Ais Wallenstein had when she had saved him from that Minotaur.

"A-ah, thank you for your assistance Arisato-san," Bell bowed his head.

"And your Goddess?" Minato asked, "Is she alright as well?"

H-huh?" Hestia blinked in surprise, before regaining her senses. "O-oh! I'm fine! Thank you very much for saving my child in his time of need."

Minato simply gave a curt nod in response before he turned around and began walking down the street.

"Arisato-san!" Bell called out after him. "Where are you going?"

"Looking for the rest of the escaped monsters." The blue-haired boy replied without turning back. "You should be careful."

Bell simply watched as his blue-haired savior made his way down the street before cutting into an alleyway. He could feel his hands tighten on the hilt of his dagger in response. That same nagging question continued to eat away at the back of his mind.

"Bell-kun?" Hestia asked, a worried look in her eyes. "Are you okay?"

He forced a smile on his face.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Hestia had a troubled look on her face, but didn't pry any further.

"How about we get out of here then Bell-kun?" His Goddess asked, "I think I've had enough of carnivals for now."

"… Sure." Bell half-heartedly replied as he stared into the eyes of the Silverback once more.

He was grateful for the aid that Minato had given him, truly he was. But yet, why was there this feeling of frustration gnawing so fiercely at his heart? The grip on his dagger tightened once again. He had been saved, just like that day. How many more times would he have to be saved in the future? How much longer was he going to allow himself to be so weak?

Bell Cranel did not want to be saved again.

How could he face Ais Wallenstein as an equal when he always needed to be saved by somebody else? What kind of hero always needed others to save him? How much longer would he be this _pathetic_?

Bell looked down at the dagger that his Goddess had given him.

"… Bell-kun?"

…

That day, he made a promise to himself.

* * *

When Minato found the last of the monsters in East Main, it was already a corpse before he had even arrived. A familiar pair of jade green eyes appraised him with the same curious look in them as they usually held. Riveria Ljos Alf, one of the few level six's in Orario, stood next to the fallen beast looking no worse for wear. Evidently, even without a weapon, the monster didn't stand much of a chance against someone with the moniker of _Nine Hell_.

"Arisato-san." The elf greeted, her voice sounding as regal as she looked.

"Alf-san." He replied in kind, with a slight nod of his head.

He had not spoken with the woman since that fateful day he had woken up in Loki's infirmary. Of course, he had rarely spoken with anyone since then, choosing to spend most of his time within the dungeon's walls. And while he had kept his contact with the others in the Loki Familia at a minimal, he did not miss the curious glances that the elf usually sent his way when they happened to pass by each other.

Riveria tilted her head towards the dead Orc.

"Would you care to explain to me just what exactly is going on here?"

Minato simply shrugged in response, filling her in on what he knew about the situation. The culprit behind the mess still remained a mystery, and while he had a suspect in mind, given that charm magic was used, there still wasn't any definitive proof yet. Loki had told him that she would take care of the investigation herself and that all he had to worry about was taking care of the monsters that had escaped, so he had simply left the mystery for the goddess.

"I see…" Riveria frowned, "Then I take it that you and Ais have dealt with the rest of the monsters?"

It was at that point, a bright pillar of light had decided to erupt from the west side of the city. Minato wasn't exactly sure what it was, but he had a feeling that magic was involved in one way or another. The pillar of light shined in the sky for the briefest of moments before fading away in an instant.

" _Wynn Fimbulvetr_ …" Riveria murmured as she stared in the direction that the pillar of light had erupted from. "That must have been Lefiya. I did not expect there to have been monsters powerful enough in the carnival to have required the use of a spell like that."

" _Wynn Fimbulvetr_ …?" Minato repeated, the words sounding quite strange on his tongue.

"A spell of mine." The elf simply replied, "We should make our way over there to make sure that everything is alright."

He simply nodded in response, following behind her as they made their way towards the west side of the city. Most of the chaos seemed to have died down. People were starting to come out of their homes and the streets were starting to get lively once more. As he walked alongside Riveria, he could see that even some of the food stalls that had been abandoned were soon back in business.

"Arisato-san, might I ask you a personal question?"

Minato simply shrugged in response.

"If you want."

The elf didn't immediately reply, and instead, kept walking forward.

"Your world…" She eventually began, "Is it similar to ours?"

As they continued to walk along the street, he contemplated that question.

"In some ways." He paused, before his lips etched into a slight frown. "Although there aren't any Goddesses there that are as annoying as Loki is."

Riveria gave a small chuckle.

"Would you care to elaborate further?"

"In my world, there are only humans." He casually explained, as if speaking about the weather. "There aren't any elves or dwarves, or any other races like that."

"Oh? How curious." The elf replied with a raised eyebrow. "I can't even begin to fathom a world like that. A world without elves… Hmm."

He simply shrugged once again.

"The only elves that exist in my world are in fiction."

"Is that why you were staring so vividly at me when we first met?" Riveria asked, along with a small chuckle. "I was wondering if there was something stuck in my teeth for the longest time you know."

"To be honest, I thought that your ears were fake." Minato admitted with a sigh. "As you can imagine, I don't normally wake up to the sight of an elf in my room."

"Yes… I suppose that we both shared similar feelings of surprise that day." She replied with a faraway look in her eyes. "Ah… Well, it seems that our comrades have taken care of most of the monsters in this area."

Riveria was right about that.

A thick shell of frost rooted a group of strange monsters that he had never seen before in place. They appeared to be giant, plant-like creatures, from what he could make out from their frozen tombs. It then occurred to him that _Wynn Fimbulvetr_ must have been an ice-based magic of some kind.

They soon found Ais, along with Loki and everybody else further up the street.

Tiona gave him a wave while her sister did so as well, albeit with a lot less enthusiasm. Ais simply nodded at him in acknowledgment while Loki gave him a knowing smirk. Another girl, Lefiya, stood next to the Sword Princess with a hand over her abdomen, nursing what appeared to be an injury.

"Hey there, Riveria-chan." Loki greeted with a grin. "Decided to come join in on the festivities after all?"

"I managed to finish most of my work ahead of schedule." Riveria explained with a slight nod. "Were you able to find anything of interest, Loki-sama?"

The red-haired Goddess held her hands behind her head.

"Hmm…" Loki hummed thoughtfully. "Well… I have a pretty good idea on who let out all the monsters from their cages."

Loki gave him a knowing look.

So, it really had been Freya who was the one responsible for this mess. The only question now was… Why? What did she hope to accomplish by causing all of this chaos? He had a feeling that the only person who could answer that question was the goddess herself.

"Riveria-chan, let Finn and Gareth know that we're having a meeting tonight." Loki ordered. "I have some things that I want to go over with everyone."

"Very well, Loki-sama." The elf replied.

"And as for Minato-kun~" Loki sauntered over with a smirk on her face. "You're going to come with me. I've got some questions for that stupid ero-goddess," She placed a hand on his shoulder, "and you'll be my escort."

Minato narrowed his eyes at the shorter goddess.

Loki was getting him involved in something troublesome once again. He had a feeling that he knew what she was attempting to do. She was trying to get him to spend less time in the dungeon. Was she afraid of him getting burnt out? That he would push himself too hard and make a costly mistake?

He supposed that he could understand where she was coming from.

Yukari had usually expressed the same type of concerns, although in a more direct way. He _did_ have a tendency on focusing too much on his goals. At the beginning, Tartarus had always been his main concern, his main _purpose,_ and everything else came after that. SEES however, managed to change that thought process.

He spent less time diving into Tartarus and more time simply socializing… Simply _living_. He developed a _relationship_ with everyone in SEES. But then… Wasn't that why Shinjiro had died? Because he wasn't strong enough to take down Strega the first time? Because he hadn't been spending enough time getting stronger in Tartarus?

And now…

It was the same scenario replaying itself over again, only with a new cast of characters. What if he failed to clear the dungeon because he hadn't spent enough time getting stronger? What if he simply took too long, and SEES had all met their end against the Arcana Shadows?

 _What if—_

"Hey, Minato-kun."

He felt a hand grip his shoulder. The thoughts finally stopped. A breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding in was finally released. A _strange_ aura of calmness seemed to wash over him and all the anxious feelings in his chest simply disappeared.

He blinked.

Loki just gave him a smile.

* * *

 **Author's Notes-** Life's been a pain. Finally started writing again, so there's that at least. If there's anything that seems off, let me know, since it's you know, been a while since I've written anything.


End file.
